Genital warts are caused by a virus called the human papillomavirus (HPV). Applica — genital warts tion of recently developed technology has led to the identification of more than 100 Viral warts that appear on the genitals types of HPV, about half of which cause genital infections (Workowski et al., 2010). and are primarily transmitted […]

At the time of this writing, no medical treatment has been proven effective in curing either oral or genital herpes. However, medical researchers are pursuing an effective treatment on many fronts, with mounting optimism. Recent research suggests that efforts to develop a herpes vaccine may yield positive results sometime in the future (Belshe et al., […]

The symptoms associated with HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections are quite similar. Genital Herpes (Type 2) Symptoms The incubation period of genital herpes is 2 to 14 days, and the symptoms usually last 2 to 4 weeks (Centers for Disease Control, 2009f; Sexually Transmitted Infections Looker et al., 2008). However, many individuals with genital herpes experience […]

Current estimates indicate that more than 100 million Americans have oral herpes, and at least 50 million (1 in 5 people over age 12) have genital herpes (Workowski et al., 2010). Worldwide genital herpes cases number in the hundreds of millions, and 24-25 million people are newly infected each year (Looker et al., 2008). Genital […]

Viruses are the cause of several common STIs. A virus is an organism that invades, reproduces, and lives within a cell, thereby disrupting normal cel­lular activity. Most viruses are transmitted through direct contact with infectious blood or other body fluids. We begin our discussion with her­pes, the most common viral STI. Next, we describe genital […]

If untreated, syphilis can progress through the primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary phases of development. We provide a brief description of each phase in the following paragraphs. Primary Syphilis In its initial or primary phase, syphilis is generally manifested in the form of a single, painless sore called a chancre (SHANG-kur), which usually appears 442 […]

Syphilis (SIH-fuh-lus) is an STI caused by a thin, corkscrewlike bacterium called Treponema pallidum (also commonly called a spirochete). Incidence and Transmission Syphilis rates declined steadily in the United States throughout the 1990s (Rosen, 2006). Unfortunately, syphilis rates have recently risen. This overall increased inci­dence of syphilis was largely attributable to an increase among men […]

Men who contract NGU often manifest symptoms similar to those of gonorrhea infec­tion, including discharge from the penis and a mild burning sensation during urina­tion. Often the discharge is less pronounced than with gonorrhea; it may be evident only in the morning before urinating. Women with NGU are generally unaware of the infection until they […]

Any inflammation of the urethra that is not caused by gonorrhea is called nongono­coccal urethritis (NGU). It is believed that three microscopic bacterial organisms— Chlamydia trachomatis, Ureaplasma urealyticum, and Mycoplasma genitalium—are primary causes of NGU (Centers for Disease Control, 2009d). NGU can also result from invasion by other infectious agents, allergic reactions to vaginal secretions, […]

Because gonorrhea is often confused with other ailments, it is important to make the correct diagnosis. Because coexisting chlamydia infections often accompany gonorrhea, health practitioners often use a treatment strategy that is effective against both. For a number of years the treatment regimen recommended by the CDC involved the dual therapy of a single dose […]