Gonococcal pharyngitis is a sexually-transmitted disease. It is acquired through oral sex with an infected partner. The majority of throat infections caused by gonococci have no symptoms (asymptomatic). When discomfort is present, it is generally mild. Symptoms involving the rest of the body are not normally present unless the person develops disseminated gonococcemia, a wide-spread infection of the bloodstream.
Untreated gonorrhea may spread to other parts of the body, causing inflammation of the testes or prostate in men or pelvic inflammatory disease in women.
Gonococci in the throat are present in 10 to 20% of women who have gonorrhea. In homosexual men with gonorrhea, pharyngeal (throat) infection is present in 10 to 25%. Risk factors include recent exposure to gonorrhea, sexual activity with multiple partners and performing oral sex. Almost 360,000 cases of gonorrhea were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2000. The incidence has remained steady for several years at 1 case per 1000 people.
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