Can gonorrhea be transmitted through a washing machine?

Written by Qu Jing
Dermatology
Updated on December 25, 2024
00:00
00:00

The probability of transmitting gonorrhea through a washing machine is very low, but it is still recommended to wash separately for safety. Gonorrhea is mainly transmitted through sexual contact, with patients of the disease being the source of infection. In a few cases, it can also be transmitted through contact with secretions containing gonococci, or through contaminated items such as clothing, bedding, towels, bathtubs, and toilets. Gonococci do not grow well outside the human body and have poor resistance to physical and chemical factors. They can survive for 15 minutes at 42°C, only 5 minutes at 52°C, and die within 1 minute at 60°C. In completely dry environments, they die within 1-2 hours, but in not completely dry environments, and in solutions, they can maintain infectivity for more than ten hours, or even several days. However, gonococci are very sensitive to common disinfectants. If sharing a washing machine, you can add hot water or a disinfectant for washing.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Qu Jing
Dermatology
1min 15sec home-news-image

Can gonorrhea be transmitted through a washing machine?

The probability of transmitting gonorrhea through a washing machine is very low, but it is still recommended to wash separately for safety. Gonorrhea is mainly transmitted through sexual contact, with patients of the disease being the source of infection. In a few cases, it can also be transmitted through contact with secretions containing gonococci, or through contaminated items such as clothing, bedding, towels, bathtubs, and toilets. Gonococci do not grow well outside the human body and have poor resistance to physical and chemical factors. They can survive for 15 minutes at 42°C, only 5 minutes at 52°C, and die within 1 minute at 60°C. In completely dry environments, they die within 1-2 hours, but in not completely dry environments, and in solutions, they can maintain infectivity for more than ten hours, or even several days. However, gonococci are very sensitive to common disinfectants. If sharing a washing machine, you can add hot water or a disinfectant for washing.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Wang Zhi Guo
Dermatology
42sec home-news-image

Has gonorrhea been cured if there has been no recurrence for 5 years?

Gonorrhea has been cured without relapse for five years, which generally indicates recovery. To confirm recovery from gonorrhea after treatment, clinical practice typically requires follow-up examinations, involving the collection of urethral secretions from men and cervical secretions from women, to test for Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Men can have a smear test; whereas women generally have a culture of cervical secretions for Neisseria gonorrhoeae, as vaginal secretions contain many other bacteria and cannot be used for definitive diagnosis through smear testing alone. If Neisseria gonorrhoeae tests negative twice, it indicates that the gonorrhea has been cured.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhai Yu Juan
Dermatology Department
43sec home-news-image

Gonococcal Neisseria is what kind of disease?

Gonorrhea Neisseria is the pathogen that causes gonorrhea. Clinically, gonorrhea is mainly transmitted through sexual contact, close living contact, and from mother to child. The symptoms of gonorrhea vary clinically. In men, gonorrhea typically presents as pus discharge from the urethra in the morning, accompanied by stinging and itching of the urethra. Women generally do not have obvious clinical symptoms, or may only show mild symptoms of cervicitis. After a confirmed diagnosis of gonorrhea, it is important to administer an adequate amount of antibiotics for treatment promptly.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Luo Hong
Dermatology Department
43sec home-news-image

Can gonorrhea relapse?

Gonorrhea (gonococcus) is caused by a bacterial infection. If it is an initial infection of gonococcus, it can be completely cured using sensitive antibiotics in the prescribed treatment course at a standard hospital. However, if the medication is used irregularly or intermittently by oneself, this can easily lead to drug resistance in gonococcus. Therefore, if drug resistance in gonococcus occurs, the effectiveness of the treatment is relatively poor. Hence, it is crucial to receive treatment at a standard hospital through formal medical procedures. Of course, if it is recurrent gonococcal infection, repeated infections may require a longer treatment course.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhai Yu Juan
Dermatology Department
39sec home-news-image

Gonorrhea infection route

Gonorrhea is primarily a sexually transmitted disease caused by infection with the Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacterium. The main transmission routes include sexual contact, close living contact such as sharing bathtubs and toilet seats, and mother-to-child transmission. After infection, the symptoms of gonorrhea differ between males and females. Males typically exhibit signs of acute urethritis, characterized by urethral pain and discharge; females, on the other hand, generally show no symptoms, or only mild signs of cervical inflammation.