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Gonococcal Conjunctivitis

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Encyclopedia of Ophthalmology

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Definition

Inflammation of the conjunctiva caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection.

Etiology

Gonococcal conjunctivitis may be acquired through direct genital-eye transmission, genital-hand-eye contact, or maternal-neonate transmission during vaginal delivery.

Clinical Presentation

Gonococcal conjunctivitis is characterized by hyperacute onset of purulent exudates, conjunctival chemosis and hyperemia, and eyelid swelling. It may also be associated with the formation of membranes and preauricular lymphadenopathy. Keratitis is the most frequent cause of sight-threatening complication and occurs in 15–40 % of cases.

Notable signs of corneal involvement include marginal infiltrates, epithelial haze, epithelial defects, and peripheral infectious keratitis. If left untreated, keratitis may progress to ulceration and eventually perforation.

In neonates, symptoms are typically bilateral and begin within 2–5 days after parturition.

Diagnosis

In cases of neonatal gonococcal conjunctivitis, a...

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Further Reading

  • Albert et al (1994) Albert & Jakobiec principles and practice of ophthalmology. (4) 2827–2829

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  • American Academy of Pediatrics (2009) Gonococcal infections. In: Pickering LK, Baker CJ, Kimberlin DW, Long SS (eds) Red book: report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases, 28th edn. American Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove Village, pp 305–313

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  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Workowski KA, Berman SM (2006) Sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines 2006. MMWR Recomm Rep 55(RR- 11):1–94

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  • Laga M, Plummer F, Piot P et al (1988) Prophylaxis of gonococcal and chlamydial ophthalmia neonatorum. N Engl J Med 318:653–657

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sinai Hospital, Krieger Eye Institute, 2401 West Belvedere Avenue, Baltimore, MD, 21215-5271, USA

    Vishwanath Srinagesh

Authors
  1. Vishwanath Srinagesh
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vishwanath Srinagesh .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Ophthal & Optometry,AKH, Medical University of Wien Dept of Ophthal & Optometry,AKH, Wien, Austria

    Ursula Schmidt-Erfurth

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main Department of Ophthalmology, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Thomas Kohnen

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Srinagesh, V. (2014). Gonococcal Conjunctivitis. In: Schmidt-Erfurth, U., Kohnen, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Ophthalmology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35951-4_728-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35951-4_728-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-35951-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference MedicineReference Module Medicine

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