ABSTRACT
The overall success of the US gonorrhea control programs is demonstrated by the decline in the number of reported cases since the mid-1970s. In 1994, 418,068 cases of gonorrhea and 448,984 cases of Chlamydia trachomatis infections were reported in the US Scrutiny of the specific gonorrhea rates allows one to better understand the epidemiology of this infection. To a great extent gonorrhea has become a disease localized in the cites, where women, members of non-white minorities, and users of illicit drugs have increased the risk of infection. In the US, race and ethnicity are associated with an increased risk for STDs. The pathogenesis of gonococcal infections can be broken down into three specific steps: first, the attachment of the bacterium to epithelial cells; second, the penetration either through or between epithelial cells, and finally destruction of epithelial cells. The transmission and eradication of specific N. gonorrhoeae strains have been studied using phenotypic and genotypic markers.
