| Definition: | | Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease which affects the mucous membranes of the genitourinary tract, eye, rectum and throat. Symptoms typically show up 2-21 days after intercourse with an infected person; they include unusual, thick white or yellow discharge and/or sore throat and/or pain during urination or defecation. If left untreated, it can cause sterility; mothers can pass it along to babies during childbirth. It is caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae and can be cured with antibiotics. |