Gonorrhea or gonorrhoea, colloquially known as the clap, is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Infection may involve the genitals, mouth, or rectum.
Gonorrhea is spread through sexual contact with an infected person, or from a mother to a child during birth. Infected males may experience pain or burning with urination, discharge from the penis, or testicular pain. Infected females may experience burning with urination, vaginal discharge, vaginal bleeding between periods, or pelvic pain. Complications in females include pelvic inflammatory disease and in males include inflammation of the epididymis. Many of those infected, however, have no symptoms. If untreated, gonorrhea can spread to joints or heart valves. Globally, gonorrhea affects about 0.8% of women and 0.6% of men. An estimated 33 to 106 million new cases occur each year. In 2015, it caused about 700 deaths.
