SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED

INFECTIONS
• An infection that is passed through blood, semen, vaginal fluids, or
other body fluids during oral, anal, or genital sex with an infected
partner
• Sexually transmitted disease (STD) refers to a disease that has
developed from an STI
• Sexually transmitted infections may be caused by bacteria, viruses, or
parasites
• Some infections can spread to other parts of the body, sometimes with
serious consequences
• Most sexually transmitted infections can be effectively treated with
medications
• Using condoms during genital sex can help prevent passing these
infections from one person to another
• Sexual contact, including oral, anal, or genital sex, provides an
opportunity for organisms to spread (be transmitted) from one person
to another because it involves transfer of body fluids
• Some infections that are spread through sexual contact can also be
spread through kissing or close body contact
• STIs are relatively common
• In the United States, over 25 million new cases of STIs occur each
year; about half of the new cases occur in people ages 15 to 24 years
Several factors make prevention of transmission of STIs difficult. They
include the following:
• Unprotected sexual activity with one or more partners
• Lack of education about safer sex practices
• Reluctance to talk about safer sex practices with a partner
• Reluctance to talk about sexual issues with a health care practitioner
• Lack of access to health care
• Infections that do not cause symptoms, so people do not know they
need to be tested or treated
• The need to treat both sex partners simultaneously to avoid
transmitting the infection between partners again
• Incomplete treatment, which can lead to development of organisms
that are resistant to medications
CAUSES

• Many infectious organisms—from tiny viruses, bacteria, and parasites

to visible insects (such as lice)—can be spread through sexual contact
• Some infections that can be transmitted during sexual contact are
usually spread in other ways. Thus, they are not typically considered
STIs. These infections include hepatitis A, B, and C and infections of
the digestive tract (which cause diarrhea), such as 
Salmonella infections, Campylobacter infections, shigellosis, 
giardiasis, amebiasis, and mpox (formally known as monkeypox).
TRANSMISSION
• Although STIs usually result from having vaginal, oral, or
anal sex with an infected partner, genital penetration is not
necessary to spread an infection
• Kissing or close body contact—for pubic lice infestation, 
scabies, molluscum contagiosum, and mpox
• From mother to child during pregnancy or during birth—for 
syphilis, herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea, 
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and 
human papillomavirus (HPV) infection
• Breastfeeding—for HIV infection
• Contaminated medical instruments—for HIV infection
SYMPTOMS

• Symptoms of STIs vary greatly, but the first symptoms usually

involve the area where the organisms entered the body. For example,
sores may form in the genital area or mouth. There may be a discharge
from the penis or the vagina, or urination may be painful
• Some of the effects of STIs increase the risk of getting other
infections (such as HIV infection). For example, having irritated skin
(inflammation, as occurs in gonorrhea or chlamydia) or sores (as
occurs in herpes, syphilis, or chancroid) makes it easier for other
infectious organisms to enter the body
COMPLICATIONS

• When STIs are not diagnosed and treated promptly, some

organisms can spread through the bloodstream and infect
internal organs, sometimes causing serious, even life-
threatening problems
• Cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) and brain infections
due to syphilis
• Severe infections and rare cancers due to HIV
• Cervical, vulvar, vaginal, anal, and throat cancer due to HPV
COMPLICATIONS

• In women, some organisms that enter the vagina can infect

other reproductive organs. The organisms can infect the
cervix, enter the uterus, and reach the fallopian tubes and
sometimes the ovaries
• Damage to the fallopian tubes can result in infertility or a
higher risk of a mislocated (ectopic) pregnancy
• The infection may spread to the membrane that lines the
abdominal cavity (peritoneum), causing peritonitis
• Infections of the uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, and/or
peritoneum are called pelvic inflammatory disease
COMPLICATIONS

• In men, organisms that enter through the penis may infect

the tube that carries urine from the bladder through the
penis (urethra)
• Tightening of the foreskin, so that it cannot be pulled over
the head of the penis
• Narrowing of the urethra, blocking the flow of urine
• Development of an abnormal channel (fistula) between the
urethra and the skin of the penis
COMPLICATIONS

• Occasionally in men, organisms spread up the urethra and

travel through the tube that carries sperm from the testis
(ejaculatory duct and vas deferens) to infect the epididymis
(the coiled tube on top of each testis)
• In both men and women, some STIs can cause persistent
swelling of the genital tissues or infection of the urethra or
rectum (proctitis)
DIAGNOSIS

• A doctor's evaluation
• Doctors often suspect an STI based on symptoms or a
history of sexual contact with an infected partner
• To identify the organism involved and thus confirm the
diagnosis, doctors may take a sample of blood, urine, or
discharge from the vagina, cervix, or penis and examine it.
The sample is usually sent to a laboratory for the organisms
to be detected and identified
DIAGNOSIS

• Some tests for STIs are designed to identify the organism’s

unique genetic material (DNA or RNA). Other tests check for
the presence of antibodies that are produced by the
immune system in response to the specific organism that is
causing the infection
• If a person has one STI, such as gonorrhea, doctors also do
tests for other STIs, such as chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV
infections
SCREENING

• Screening refers to doing tests for a disease in people who

do not have symptoms
• The disease being screened for is relatively common
• People have a higher than average risk of having a disease
(such as people with more than one sex partner), or in
whom a disease is particularly dangerous (such as pregnant
women)
SCREENING

• Doctors recommend screening for STIs in people who are at

increased risk for infection with chlamydia, gonorrhea, 
syphilis, and/or HIV
• All sexually active women under age 25 or those older than
25 who are at high risk of infection should be screened for
chlamydia annually, and all pregnant women should be
screened for all 4 of these STIs
TREATMENT

• Antibiotics or antiviral medications depending on the STI

• Treatment of complications, if present
• If possible, simultaneous treatment of sex partners
• People who are being treated for a bacterial STI should
abstain from sexual intercourse until the infection has been
eliminated from them and their sex partners, thus, sex
partners should be tested and treated simultaneously
• Viral STIs, especially genital herpes and HIV infection, usually
persist for life. Antiviral medications can control but not yet
cure these infections
PREVENTION

• Safer sex practices, including using a condom every time for oral,

anal, or genital sex
• Decreased risk of exposure to STIs by reducing the number of sex
partners, not having high-risk sex partners (people with many sex
partners or who do not practice safer sex), or practicing mutual
monogamy or abstinence
• Vaccination, available for some STIs
• Circumcision (which can also reduce the spread of HIV to men)
PREVENTION

• Prompt diagnosis and treatment of STIs (to prevent spread to other

people)
• Identification of the sexual contacts of infected people, followed by
counseling or treatment of these contacts
PREVENTION

• Vaccines are available for HPV infection, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B

• People at high risk of HIV infection may take medications prior to
being exposed to prevent becoming infected
BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS
BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS
BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS
BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS
BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS
BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS
CHLAMYDIA
CHLAMYDIA
CHLAMYDIA
CHLAMYDIA
CHLAMYDIA
CHLAMYDIA
CHLAMYDIA
CHLAMYDIA
GENITAL HERPES
GENITAL HERPES
GENITAL HERPES
GENITAL HERPES
GENITAL HERPES
GENITAL HERPES
GENITAL HERPES
GENITAL HPV
GENITAL HPV
GENITAL HPV
GENITAL HPV
GENITAL HPV
GENITAL HPV
GENITAL HPV
GONORRHEA
GONORRHEA
GONORRHEA
GONORRHEA
GONORRHEA
GONORRHEA
GONORRHEA
GONORRHEA
PELVIC INFLAMMATORY
DISEASE
PELVIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE
PELVIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE
PELVIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE
PELVIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE
PELVIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE
PELVIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE
PELVIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE
STD’S AND PREGNANCY
STD’S AND PREGNANCY
STD’S AND PREGNANCY
STD’S AND PREGNANCY
STD’S AND PREGNANCY
STD’S AND PREGNANCY
STD’S AND PREGNANCY
SYPHILIS
SYPHILIS
SYPHILIS
SYPHILIS
SYPHILIS
SYPHILIS
SYPHILIS
SYPHILIS
TRICHOMONIASIS
TRICHOMONIASIS
TRICHOMONIASIS
TRICHOMONIASIS
TRICHOMONIASIS
TRICHOMONIASIS
TRICHOMONIASIS