Gonorrhea (Neisseria gonorrhoeae) 1990 Case Definition

NOTE: A surveillance case definition is a set of uniform criteria used to define a disease for public health surveillance. Surveillance case definitions enable public health officials to classify and count cases consistently across reporting jurisdictions. Surveillance case definitions are not intended to be used by healthcare providers for making a clinical diagnosis or determining how to meet an individual patient’s health needs.

Clinical Description

A sexually transmitted infection commonly manifested by urethritis, cervicitis, or salpingitis. Infection may be asymptomatic.

Laboratory Criteria For Diagnosis

Isolation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae from a clinical specimen, OR
Observation of gram-negative intracellular diplococci in a urethral smear obtained from a man

Case Classification

Probable

Demonstration of gram-negative intracellular diplococci in an endocervical smear obtained from a woman, or a written (morbidity) report of gonorrhea submitted by a physician

Confirmed

A case that is laboratory confirmed

Related Case Definition(s)

Top of Page

Last Reviewed: April 16, 2021

Source: Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology