Which bacterial sexually transmitted disease usually affects mucous membranes?

• A. Gonorrhea
• B. Genital herpes
• C. Chlamydia
• D. Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Answer: (A)

Gonorrhea is a mucosal infection caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and it characteristically involves mucous membranes of the genitourinary tract and may extend to other mucosal surfaces such as the pharynx and rectum. The bacteria adhere to and invade the mucosal epithelium, leading to inflammation and, in many cases, a purulent discharge from the urethra or cervix. Because the question focuses on a bacterial sexually transmitted disease that classically affects mucous membranes, gonorrhea is the best fit. In contrast, genital herpes is caused by a virus and presents with painful vesicular lesions rather than a primary mucosal infection pattern; HIV is a retrovirus with systemic immune effects rather than a localized mucosal infection pattern; and chlamydia, while also bacterial and capable of mucosal infection, often has milder symptoms or asymptomatic cervicitis and does not as distinctly emphasize mucosal discharge as gonorrhea.