infections
Gonorrhea
Diagnosis of Gonorrhea
Usually, testing of a sample of discharge from the cervix, vagina, penis, throat, or rectum or of a sample of urine To diagnose gonorrhea, doctors collect a sample of discharge and send it to a laboratory. Highly sensitive tests can be done to detect the DNA of gonococci and of chlamydiae (which are often also present). Laboratories can test for both infections in a single sample. For some of these tests (called nucleic acid amplification tests, or NAATS), techniques that increase the amount of the bacteria's genetic material are used. Because these techniques make the organisms easier to detect, urine samples can be used. Thus, these tests are convenient for screening people who have no symptoms or who do not want to have samples of fluid taken from their genitals. Sometimes, the sample is also sent for culture (to grow the organisms). For men, gonorrhea may be diagnosed rapidly (within 1 hour) by examining samples of the discharge and identifying the bacteria (gonococci), if the facility has the appropriate equipment and trained personnel. If a discharge is obvious, doctors touch a swab or slide to the end of the penis to collect the sample. If there is no obvious discharge, doctors insert a small swab a half inch or more into the urethra to collect a sample. Men are asked to refrain from urinating for at least 2 hours before the sample is collected. Diagnosing gonorrhea in women is more difficult than in men, because identifying bacteria in a sample of discharge from the cervix is more difficult than from a penis. The bacteria in a sample taken from the cervix can be seen under the microscope in only about half of infected women. Because people may have more than one STI, doctors may test samples of blood and genital fluids for other STIs, such as Syphilis and If a joint is red and swollen, doctors draw fluid from the joint using a needle. The fluid is sent for culture and other tests. 