Gonorrhea is undoubtedly the first sexually transmitted disease that comes to mind for most people when the topic is discussed. However, did you know that gonorrhea and chlamydia are two distinct kinds of the disease? Both men and women can contract gonorrhea, a disease that is transmitted during unprotected intercourse. What differentiates chlamydia from gonorrhea, then? We will learn about the differences between gonorrhea and chlamydia in this article.

While gonorrhea and chlamydia share some symptoms or may occur together, the etiological agents for each infection are distinct. Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) is the etiological agent for gonorrhea, whereas Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) is the common etiological agent for up to 50 percent of chlamydia cases. While other etiological agents, such as Ureaplasma urealyticum and Trichomonas vaginalis. 50 percent.

It is possible to distinguish between gonorrhea and chlamydia based on symptoms, particularly the appearance of pus. There will be hazy-looking pus in cases of gonorrhea. Most people with chlamydia have clear pus. However, it has been discovered that both clear and cloudy pus can happen in chlamydia as well. It’s becoming harder now! As if that weren’t enough, there is a significant chance that the two infections would co-occur. As a result, it is challenging to distinguish between both diseases using clinical indicators only; instead, laboratory diagnosis is required for greater accuracy.

Men’s gonorrhea symptoms include burning while urinating and pus coming out from the urethra. Complications may include genital abscess or testicular inflammation. However, for women, most are asymptomatic. They might experience atypical, non-itchy vaginal discharge. In such cases, cervical inflammation and pus in the cervix are commonly found together.

Laboratory diagnosis of gonococcal infection (gonorrhea)

• Initial diagnostic test can be done through Gram stain of the pus smear. In case of infection, gram-negative intracellular will be detected. There is also another test with higher sensitivity, which is a PCR test, but it is more expensive.
• A bacteria culture test can be taken to confirm whether you have a bacterial infection. In cases where Neisseria gonorrhoeae is detected, there would be visible growth of the infection. This method is highly accurate but takes longer for up to 2-3 days to get the result.

Chlamydia symptoms in men include burning when urinating, clear or hazy pus, and itching in the urethra. Most women have no symptoms. A small percentage may experience vaginal discharge with cervical irritation frequently found together.

Laboratory diagnosis of chlamydia trachomatis (chlamydia)

• Urethral Gram stain detected ≥ (more than or equal to) 5 cells/oil field of PMN.
• In women, mucopurulent discharge is detected in the cervix without Gram-negative intracellular diplococci from cervical Gram stain or a positive Chlamydial test.
• Testing with PCR has high sensitivity. Even a very small amount of infections can be detected.

According to the information provided in this article, the symptoms of gonorrhea and chlamydia are fairly similar. However, both infections require different treatments. The antibiotics used also vary. As a result, if you have symptoms of gonorrhea or chlamydia, you should not purchase medicine yourself. You should get confirmation and diagnosis from a doctor in order to receive appropriate treatment and medication, and also to avoid complications and risks that may result from using the incorrect medication.