Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea: Testing, Treatment and Follow-Up
Which samples can help detect chlamydia and gonorrhoea, why treatment differs, and what to ask about at follow-up.
Symptoms can be absent
Both infections can affect the genital tract, rectum or throat. A person can feel well and still have an infection. Discharge or pain with urination may occur, and symptoms overlap with other conditions. If you have symptoms, a partner has tested positive, or you are pregnant and concerned about exposure, contact a clinic promptly.
Match the sample to the site
A laboratory may use a nucleic acid amplification test on urine or a swab. Tell the clinician which body sites were exposed. A test of a genital specimen cannot check the throat or rectum. If symptoms continue despite treatment, a clinician may need further specimens and, in suspected gonorrhoea treatment failure, a culture and susceptibility test.
Treatment and follow-up
Both infections are curable with appropriate antibiotics. Treatment choices differ and depend on factors including pregnancy and local recommendations. Gonorrhoea can develop resistance to antibiotics. Ask which partners need advice, when sexual contact can safely resume and whether a test of cure or a later test for reinfection is appropriate for you.
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