Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted bacterial infection [disease]. The supplied metadata classifies it as bacterial and assigns ICD-10 code A54 and ICD-11 code 1A72 [disease]. The provided literature snippets focus on its role within STI surveillance and do not supply organism-level characterization beyond the disease name and category ^[1][2].

The source material does not provide a detailed symptom description for gonorrhea itself, but it indicates that extragenital gonorrhea infections may be asymptomatic or associated with few symptoms ^[1]. A review of conjunctivitis notes that conjunctivitis secondary to sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea requires systemic treatment in addition to topical antibiotic therapy, which implies that gonococcal infection can present with ocular involvement in some settings ^[3]. The 2024 review also states that untreated STIs in women can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, chronic pelvic pain, and pregnancy complications including ectopic pregnancy, early pregnancy loss, stillbirth, and neonatal transmission; however, these complications are described for STIs broadly rather than gonorrhea specifically in the snippet ^[2].

In the United States, gonorrhea rates increased from 2015 to 2019 according to a review summarized in the source payload ^[1]. Another 2024 review reports that more than 2.5 million cases of gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2022, underscoring the continuing surveillance burden of STIs including gonorrhea ^[2]. Populations reported to have higher STI rates include people younger than 25 years, sexual and gender minorities such as men and transgender women who have sex with men, and racial and ethnic minorities such as Black and Latinx people ^[1]. The snippets also discuss consideration of extragenital screening for gonorrhea in women at sites such as the anus and pharynx, indicating that surveillance and case finding extend beyond urogenital disease ^[2].

The provided sources identify gonorrhea as a sexually transmitted infection, but they do not give a detailed route-by-route transmission description [disease]^[1]. One review notes guidance for extragenital screening at the anus and pharynx, which is consistent with infection being detected at multiple anatomic sites of sexual exposure ^[2]. Source-backed detail on persistence, household spread, or nonsexual transmission is not yet available in the supplied material ^[1][2].

The sources identify higher STI rates among people younger than 25 years, sexual and gender minorities such as men and transgender women who have sex with men, and racial and ethnic minorities such as Black and Latinx people ^[1]. The 2024 review also highlights reproductive-aged persons living in counties with high community rates of syphilis as a screening priority for syphilis, but this threshold is not presented as a gonorrhea-specific risk group in the snippet ^[2]. Source-backed detail on additional gonorrhea-specific risk groups is not yet available in the provided material ^[1][2].

The source snippets support screening-oriented prevention and case finding, including consideration of extragenital screening for gonorrhea in women at the anus and pharynx ^[2]. More generally, STI guidance is described as frequently updated, and the reviews emphasize monitoring populations at higher risk and maintaining surveillance awareness ^[1][2]. Source-backed details on specific behavioral prevention measures, partner management, or vaccination are not yet available in the provided material ^[1][2].

For surveillance purposes, gonorrhea should be read as part of a broader STI burden that has remained elevated in recent U.S. reporting, with increasing gonorrhea rates noted over 2015 to 2019 and large national case counts reported in 2022 ^[1][2]. The available snippets suggest that asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic infection, particularly at extragenital sites, may complicate recognition and support the value of site-specific screening where indicated ^[1][2]. Because the provided evidence is limited to review summaries and metadata, finer-grained local outbreak patterns, resistance trends, and detailed case definitions are not yet available in this payload ^{[1][2][4][5][6]}.

1. 1 Tuddenham S et al. Diagnosis and Treatment of Sexually Transmitted Infections: A Review. JAMA. 2022 Jan 11. PMID: 35015033. doi: 10.1001/jama.2021.23487. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35015033/
2. 2 Hufstetler K et al. Clinical Updates in Sexually Transmitted Infections, 2024. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2024 Jun. PMID: 38770770. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2024.0367. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38770770/
3. 3 Gonorrhea. Atlas of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and AIDS. 2010. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-7020-4060-3.00002-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-7020-4060-3.00002-8
4. 4 Gonorrhea. Adult-Gerontology Practice Guidelines. 2019. doi: 10.1891/9780826195197.0098. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1891/9780826195197.0098
5. 5 Gonorrhea. Clinics in Laboratory Medicine. 1989. doi: 10.1016/s0272-2712(18)30613-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/s0272-2712(18)30613-9
6. 6 Azari AA et al. Conjunctivitis: a systematic review of diagnosis and treatment. JAMA. 2013 Oct 23. PMID: 24150468. doi: 10.1001/jama.2013.280318. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24150468/

ICD-10

A54

ICD-11

1A72

Total cases

5.7M

Total deaths

39

Peak month

2017-09

Coverage

3 reporting countries · 2013-01-01 → 2026-06-20