Throat infections

What are the symptoms?

Gonorrhea, and occasionally chlamydia, can also infect the back of the throat, but not inside the mouth. These infections rarely cause throat symptoms, so you may not realize you are infected.

How is it spread?

You can get gonorrhea or chlamydia in the back of the throat by performing oral sex on an infected penis. It is almost impossible to get infected by deep kissing, oral-vaginal sex or rimming.

Treatment and follow-up

Oral gonorrhea is treated with Suprax, chlamydia with doxycycline. You need two follow-up tests because these throat infections are more difficult to test for, and harder to treat. Men on whom you have performed oral sex should get treated too.

Page updated 5 April 2010