Urogenit Tract Infect.  2023 Apr;18(1):20-23. 10.14777/uti.2023.18.1.20.

Why Should You Care About Oral Gonorrhea and Oral Human Papillomavirus Infection?

• Jeong JY
• Cho S
• Jung HD

• KMID: 2542277
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14777/uti.2023.18.1.20

Abstract

The incidence of sexually transmitted diseases is increasing with the open-sex culture and as people are having sex at a younger age. Consequently, oral gonorrhea and oral human papillomavirus infections, which are often asymptomatic, result in a high risk of transmission. Oral gonorrhea is symptomatic in less than 20% of patients confirmed by culture for Neisseria gonorrhoeae in both men and women. Even if symptoms develop and oral gonorrhea is diagnosed and treated, the cure rate is less than 90%. Hence, oral gonorrhea can lead to antibiotic resistance to gonorrhea. Oral human papillomavirus infections have received more attention because oral human papillomavirus infections play an important role in the development of oropharyngeal cancer. On the other hand, no test for diagnosing human papillomavirus in the oral cavity has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. This lack of test makes it difficult to detect oral human papillomavirus infection early, which can further increase the risk of transmission of human papillomavirus infections. Preventing human papillomavirus infections is very important because surgical resection is the only treatment. Vaccination against human papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal cancers, including tonsil cancer and base of the tongue cancer, has been reported to be effective in reducing the prevalence of oral human papillomavirus infection in middle-aged adults. Human papillomavirus vaccination is essential for protecting against oral human papillomavirus infection.

Keyword

Gonorrhea; Human papillomavirus viruses; Oropharynx