What Is It? Urethritis is an inflammation of the urethra, which
is the tube that carries urine out of the body. Urethritis is
usually caused by a sexually transmitted infection. Much less
often, it is the result of an injury from an instrument such as
a urinary catheter or exposure to an irritating chemical such as
an antiseptic or a spermicide. Doctors usually classify sexually
transmitted (infectious) urethritis into two categories:
gonococcal urethritis, caused by gonorrhea bacteria, and
nongonococcal urethritis, caused by bacteria other than
gonorrhea. Gonococcal urethritis, commonly called clap, is
caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria. Gonorrhea infections
are passed from person to person during sexual activity
(vaginal, oral and anal intercourse). Nongonococcal urethritis
is caused by all sexually transmitted bacteria other than N.
gonorrhea. The most frequent cause is Chlamydia trachomatis
bacteria, which cause the sexually transmitted disease
Chlamydia. Nongonococcal urethritis is the most common