TEM of Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria, the causative agent of gonorrhea. Neisseria gonorrhoeae, also known as gonococci, or gonococcus, is a species of gram-negative coffee bean-shaped diplococci bacteria responsible for the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea. Sexually transmitted infections (STI), also referred to as sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and venereal diseases (VD), are illnesses that have a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of human sexual behavior, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex. While in the past, these illnesses have mostly been referred to as STDs or VD, in recent years the term sexually transmitted infections (STIs) has been preferred, as it has a broader range of meaning; a person may be infected, and may potentially infect others, without having a disease. Some STIs can also be transmitted via the use of IV drug needles after its use by an infected person, as well as through childbirth or breastfeeding. Sexually transmitted infections have been well known for hundreds of years, and venereology is the branch of medicine that studies these diseases. Magnification@ 100,000x.