Gonorrhea Gonorrhea is caused by a bacterium called Neisseria gonorrhoeae, (commonly known as “the clap”) which grows and multiplies, quickly in moist, warm areas of the body including the reproductive tract, the oral cavity, and the rectum. One in five people in the U.S. have a STD. One in every 687 Americans has Gonorrhea, a rate of two million people means that one in every 130 Americans is infected. Gonorrhea is an infection, which is easily transmitted by sexual contact, and intercourse, including both oral and anal sex. In infants and children, transmission can occur by non-sexual contact, but it is rare. In the male, the risk of acquiring gonorrhea following one episode of vaginal intercourse