Master Neisseria gonorrhoeae Disease with Picmonic for Medicine

Dysuria specifically refers to painful urination. Infection of the genitals can cause dysuria, along with purulent and foul-smelling discharge.

In females, prolonged infection can result in pelvic inflammatory disease when the bacterium travels into the pelvic peritoneum via the cervix, uterus and fallopian tubes. Complications include infertility due to scarring of the fallopian tubes, and individuals are at an increased risk for ectopic pregnancies.

Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome is a rare complication of pelvic inflammatory disease, and can present as upper right quadrant abdominal pain due to liver capsule inflammation. Characteristically, the inflammation can cause scar tissue on the thin layer of connective tissue that surrounds the liver, causing violin string adhesions from the parietal peritoneum to the liver.

N. gonorrhoeae can cause neonatal conjunctivitis when the infant is exposed to the organism in the birth canal. This can lead to corneal scarring and perforation, which can result in blindness. Treatment for neonatal conjunctivitis is erythromycin and silver nitrate eye drop.

Individuals can get gonococcal pharyngitis from oral sex with an infected partner.

N. gonorrhoeae can cause gonococcal arthritis, which is the most common form of septic arthritis in the United States. The organism can seed in the joint when the bacteria disseminates and presents with rapid onset of significant joint pain, often with swelling, redness and warmth of the joint.

Tenosynovitis is inflammation of the synovium that surrounds a tendon. Individuals with tenosynovitis have symptoms of swelling, pain, and difficulty moving the specific joint where inflammation occurs. Tenosynovitis can occur in disseminated gonococcal infections.

Individuals with disseminated gonococcal infections can present with a painless non-pruritic dermatitis. This often presents as pustules on the hands and feet.

Ceftriaxone is a third generation cephalosporin that is used in the treatment of Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

In order to ensure treatment of common co-occuring pathogens like chlamydia as well as growing concerns about emerging gonococcal resistance, the CDC recommends combination therapy with ceftriaxone 250 mg intramuscularly, and either azithromycin 1 g orally as single dose, or doxycycline 100 mg orally twice daily for 7 days as the most reliably effective treatment for uncomplicated gonorrhea.

In order to ensure treatment of common co-occuring pathogens like chlamydia as well as growing concerns about emerging gonococcal resistance, the CDC recommends combination therapy with ceftriaxone 250 mg intramuscularly, and either azithromycin 1 g orally as single dose, or doxycycline 100 mg orally twice daily for 7 days as the most reliably effective treatment for uncomplicated gonorrhea.

Individuals with a C5-9 complement deficiency are particularly vulnerable to disseminated Neisseria infections with encapsulated bacteria.