Gonorrhea or Syphilis

Gonorrhea is an infection caused by a sexually transmitted bacterium that can infect both males and females. Gonorrhea most often affects the urethra, rectum or throat. In females, gonorrhea can also infect the cervix. Gonorrhea is most commonly spread during sex. But babies can be infected during childbirth if their mothers are infected. In babies, gonorrhea most commonly affects the eyes. Gonorrhea is a common infection that, in many cases, causes no symptoms. You may not even know that you’re infected. Abstaining from sex, using a condom if you do have sex and being in a mutually monogamous relationship are the best ways to prevent sexually transmitted infections.

Donor requirements for participation:

  • You must be clinically diagnosed by a medical professional. Confirmation of the diagnosis and/or treatment must be verified with your physician.
  • Be pre-screened to determine eligibility.
  • You’re willing to donate plasma through the apheresis process.
  • You must have a photo ID and be able to provide your social security number or proof of citizenship.
  • You must be at least 18 years old.
  • You must weight at least 110 lbs.
  • You must disclose if you have ever been diagnosed with Hepatitis C and/or HIV.

For questions and concerns about requirements or participation, contact us at (833) GO-4-CURE.

Symptoms

In many cases, gonorrhea causes no symptoms. However, when gonorrhea symptoms do occur, it most commonly appears in the genital tract and includes:

  • For Men: Painful urination, Pus-like discharge from the tip of the penis, pain or swelling in one testicle
  • For Women: Increased vaginal discharge, painful urination, vaginal bleeding between periods such as after vaginal intercourse, abdominal pain, pelvic pain.

Treatment

Adults with gonorrhea are treated with antibiotics. Due to emerging strains of drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that uncomplicated gonorrhea be treated only with the antibiotic ceftriaxone (Rocephin) — given as an injection — in combination with either azithromycin (Zithromax, Zmax) or doxycycline (Monodox, Oracea, Vibramycin) — two antibiotics that are taken orally.

Syphilis is a bacterial infection usually spread by sexual contact. The disease starts as a painless sore — typically on your genitals, rectum or mouth. Syphilis spreads from person to person via skin or mucous membrane contact with these sores.

Symptoms

Syphilis develops in stages, and syphilis symptoms vary with each stage. But the stages may overlap, and symptoms don’t always occur in the same order. The first sign of syphilis is a small sore, called a chancre. The sore appears at the spot where the bacteria entered your body. Within a few weeks of the original chancre healing, you may experience a rash that begins on your trunk but eventually covers your entire body — even the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet. This rash is usually not itchy and may be accompanied by wart-like sores in the mouth or genital area. If you aren’t treated for syphilis, the disease moves from the secondary to the latent (hidden) stage, when you have no symptoms. About 15 to 30 percent of people infected with syphilis who don’t get treatment will develop complications known as tertiary (late) syphilis. In the late stages, the disease may damage your brain, nerves, eyes, heart, blood vessels, liver, bones and joints.

Treatment

When diagnosed and treated in its early stages, syphilis is easy to cure. The preferred treatment for syphilis at all stages is penicillin, an antibiotic medication that can kill the organism that causes syphilis. If you’re allergic to penicillin, your doctor will suggest another antibiotic.

This information is not meant for clinical diagnosis, but as an educational resource derived from Mayo Clinic.

Discovering that you have been infected with a disease can be overwhelming with many unanswered questions and concerns. One that may come to mind is “how can I help someone else that may go the same process and struggles that I have experienced?”

You can help by becoming a Specialty Antibody donor! Participating in research allows scientists and clinicians find new treatments, tests and quicker diagnostic methods to improve patient outcomes and, hopefully, prevent the disease from spreading.

Gonorrhea Syphilis

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