As soon as infection takes place, the white cells of the blood attack the intruders bypassing through the invaded membranes. The gonococci are mostly engulfed or swallowed by them, and may be seen inside of these cells, as well as outside ofthem, with the aid of a microscope. The mass of germs and white blood cells forms pus in abundance. In males, the organism causes inflammation, pain, burning and a profuse discharge of rather thick, light yellow pus from the urethra. A condition whichmay follow gonorrhea, sometimes a long time after the acute infection has cleared up, is a narrowing or stricture of the urethra, which makes iturination difficult and at times impossible, thus causing dangerous distention of the bladder.
Stricture also develops in women, though much less often.
The infectionmay travel up through the uterus and the oviducts until it passes out through the open ends of these tubes into the abdominal cavity and cause peritonitis. If peritonitis is not caused, or if it quiets down without causing death or severe illness, the infection tends to become chronic in the oviducts andeventually to seal them shut in one or more places. Oviducts thus sealed shut will not allow ova to pass from the ovaries to the uterus, resulting insterility. Another very serious though not very common form of gonorrheal infection is called opthalmia neonatorum, or sore eyes of a new born. It is caused by thegerms getting into the child s eye during birth.