Tests for gonorrhea bacteria

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Tran Thi Vuong - Doctor of Microbiology - Laboratory Department - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital

1. Learn about gonorrhea?

Neisseria gonorrhea or gonorrhea is a Gram (-) bacterium that only causes gonorrhea in humans. Gonorrhea causes infections of the genitourinary system, urinary tract, anus, and throat through direct sexual transmission. Gonorrhea can be seen in both men and women with relatively similar clinical manifestations, symptoms in women are often more subtle, specifically: Men: The disease manifests as pus draining from the tip of the penis in a large quantity. , change color to solid yellow or greenish yellow accompanied by urinary disorders such as painful urination, urinary incontinence, fever, fatigue all over the body. Female: For gonorrhea in women, symptoms are often subtle, even asymptomatic. Sometimes the disease has acute manifestations such as: painful urination, pus draining from the urethra, thick yellow or greenish yellow from the cervix, bad odor, pain during intercourse. What complications does gonorrhea cause? Gonorrhea causes dangerous complications such as: inflammation of the Skene gland, Bartholin, salpingitis, ectopic pregnancy, infertility, anal fistula, rectal inflammation, epididymitis, infertility, prostatitis , inflammation of the seminal vesicles , inflammation of the vas deferens .

2. In what cases is testing for gonorrhea indicated?

Having sex with someone who has gonorrhea. Gonorrhea testing is indicated for people who have had unprotected sex with someone who has been diagnosed with gonorrhea. Testing should be done as soon as possible. Having sex with multiple partners who do not use safe sex methods such as condoms, .. People who have had sex now have symptoms of gonorrhea infection as follows: pain when urinating pain, blood in the urine, pus in the urine, an infection in the genitals, or the urethra is swollen, hot, red, painful,... People who have shared personal items or have direct contact with secretions People who have had a sexually transmitted disease (syphilis, genital warts, etc.) timely. It is advisable to be tested for (screened for) gonorrhea even if there are no symptoms. Pre-marital health check. Before having sex, you need to ask your partner to be tested for gonorrhea. Pregnant women should get tested during pregnancy if in doubt they should get tested before giving birth to make sure they are not infected. This avoids infecting the baby if he is born vaginally.

3. How to test for gonorrhea?

There are many types of tests used to diagnose gonorrhea. Includes:
Bacterial culture for gonorrhea . After swabs are taken from the vagina, rectum, eyes, and throat, these samples are cultured in a medium suitable for the growth of the gonococcal bacteria N. gonorrhoeae In addition, culture tests are used to Antibiogram is very important in treatment to help doctors identify sensitive antibiotics, or antibiotics that are resistant. This is the most accurate culture method for gonorrhea. The disadvantage of this method is that because gonorrhea bacteria are very sensitive to temperature and environment, it is very difficult to culture, so there is a small rate of false and missed results. The results of the culture test will take 3-5 days.

Gram stain for gonorrhea . Gram staining is a technique that uses a special dye to stain components of the gonococcal bacteria so that they stand out under a microscope. This is an effective test for gonorrhea, especially for men. The specimen of this method is urethral fluid. In women, this method is less effective because in women's vaginas there are many different types of bacteria that also catch the dye, which can easily be confused with gonorrhea. Usually, the results of a gram stain test are available in 1-2 hours. The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay detects gonorrhea. This technique allows the detection of gonorrhea at an early stage of the disease when other methods cannot. Gonorrhea DNA will be extracted from the specimen, then amplified many times, to easily detect the presence of bacteria. Therefore, this method is currently considered the best method to test for viral and bacterial diseases, including gonorrhea with a sensitivity and specificity of about 98%, the risk of detecting infected people will be much higher. a lot of. This method applies to suspected cases of infection (i.e., no symptoms) and specimens to perform more extensive tests: urethral fluid (male), first urinary stream (in men after a short period of urinating). At least 2 o'clock, or at the beginning of the day when waking up), vaginal secretions (women) can detect gonorrhea bacteria... Vinmec International General Hospital is one of the hospitals that not only ensures professional quality. with a team of leading medical doctors, a system of modern equipment and technology, but also outstanding with comprehensive and professional medical examination, consultation and treatment services; civilized, polite, safe and sterile medical examination and treatment space. Customers when choosing to perform tests here can be completely assured of the accuracy of test results.
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