A bacterium that causes gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted infection that affects the genital tract and other parts of the body.
From Greek 'gono-' meaning 'reproduction/seed' and 'coccus' meaning 'berry' or 'spherical bacterium.' The term was coined in the late 1800s when scientists identified the round bacterial cells responsible for gonorrhea.
This bacterium was one of the first microorganisms definitively linked to a specific disease, helping launch modern microbiology! Gonococci can survive in hostile environments by hiding inside human cells, making them surprisingly difficult for the immune system to eliminate.
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