During the gonorrhea test a urine or body fluid is tested to see whether the bacterium is present in the organism because that might cause an infection. Such tests are useful for screening for gonorrhea and to confirm the infection.
Gonorrhea
This is one of the most well-known STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) and in the majority of the cases it can be contracted through sexual intercourse.
The hazard of the infection is that it doesn’t always produce symptoms. There are different kinds of test for gonorrhea, usually using body fluids from the infected area.
NAAT test for gonorrhea
NAAT is an amplification test and it works through detecting and making a copy of the DNA of the bacteria.
The good thing about the test is that it is quite accurate and all it needs is a urine sample or some body fluid from the area that is thought to be infected.
Nucleic acid hybridization test
Similarly to the previous case, this gonorrhea test detects the genetic material of the bacteria. The sample is collected only from the body part that is supposed to be infected, often including the cervix and the urethra.
This is because the sample taken from the throat doesn’t always offer exact results. In many cases this test also checks for other STIs, like chlamydia.
Gonorrhea culture
This kind of test for gonorrhea is performed with the help of a sample taken from the infected part of the body, including the urethra, cervix, rectum, eye or throat.
Then the sample is mixed with chemical agents that support the growth of the gonorrhea bacteria.
The special aspect of this gonorrhea test is that, unlike the other kinds of tests, this can reveal whether the bacterium is resistant to any kinds of antibiotics.
Gram stain
This is a test for gonorrhea that is usually performed using a sample of body semen from the penis or, less often, the cervix. Then this fluid is transferred onto a microscope slide and dyed with a substance that can reveal the potential presence of the gonorrhea bacteria.
You should know about this gonorrhea test that it is not as reliable as the other kinds of tests, but it can offer faster results. Another thing that you should know is that in case the sample is from the cervix, the result of the test might not be entirely precise.
Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay
Just as in the previous case, this test for gonorrhea is done using semen from the penis or the cervix. Unlike the other kinds of tests, this one is meant to find the substances that make an immune system fight the infection. Nonetheless this kind of test is not as accurate as the gonorrhea culture.
As you can see, there are numerous different ways to find out whether you have been infected by the bacterium, you just have to have the right kind of gonorrhea test. Usually this is up to your doctor to decide according to the conditions and possibilities that he or she has.
