Chlamydia

Chlamydial Infection, Chlamydia trachomatis, Chlamydia vaginitis.

Chlamydia is the most common curable sexually transmitted disease, and it is caused by the obligate intracellular parasite Chlamydia trachomatis. Hundreds of thousands of new cases are reported every year, but that probably represents less than half of all infections. This is because half of all chlamydia cases in men, and three quarters of chlamydia cases in women, have no symptoms.

Signs and Symptoms

For Men: The primary infection site for chlamydia in men is the urethra, the tube inside the penis that carries urine and sperm. Infection of the urethra is known as urethritis. Chlamydia symptoms in men may include:

burning pain on urination discharge from the opening of the penis (the urethra) pain in the testicles pain in, or discharge from, the rectum

For Women: The primary infection site for chlamydia in women is the cervix, the opening that connects the vagina to the uterus, or womb. Infection of the cervix is known as cervicitis. Chlamydia Symptoms in women may include:

Vaginal irritation Vaginal discharge Painful sexual intercourse Pain in, or discharge from, the rectum

Nondescript pain in the lower abdomen Severe pelvic pain from an infection that has ascended from the cervix into the upper reproductive tract.

Treatment
Current guidelines recommend: azithromycin, doxycycline, erythromycin, or ofloxacin.[20] Agents recommended for pregnant women include erythromycin or amoxicillin.

C. trachomatis infection can be effectively cured with antibiotics once it is detected.

Gonorrhea
The Clap. A Dose. GC. A Drip.
Gonorrhea is an extremely common sexually transmitted disease in the United States, infecting around 700,000 new people a year. It is caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and it can be spread by oral, vaginal, or anal sex. It can also be passed from a mother to her child during a vaginal delivery. Although gonorrhea is frequently asymptomatic, that doesn't mean it can't have serious health consequences. Left untreated, gonorrhea can cause pelvic inflammatory disease in women and epididymitis in men, both which can lead to eventual infertility. Gonorrhea can also cause a disseminated infection, which happens when the bacteria get into the bloodstream and spread throughout the body. Symptoms of disseminated infection include fever, chills, skin blistering, and joint pain, which are different than the symptoms of a genital infection. Gonorrhea is on the brink of becoming a public health disaster. Over time, the bacteria that cause the disease have become resistant to all but one class of antibiotics.

 Signs and Symptoms

Women:

most cases have no symptoms vaginal discharge burning on urination pelvic pain bleeding between periods

Men:

yellow, white, or green urethral discharge burning on urination pain and swelling of the testicles

Both (rectal infection):

rectal pain rectal discharge rectal bleeding painful bowel movements

Both (throat infection):

sore throat

Treatment
Gonorrhea if left untreated may last for weeks or months with higher risks of complications. As of 2010 injectable ceftriaxone appears to be one of the few effective antibiotics. Because of increasing rates of antibiotic resistance local susceptibility patterns need to be taken into account when deciding on treatment. Many antibiotics that were once effective including penicillin,tetracycline and fluoroquinolones are no longer recommended

because of high rates of resistance.[9] Cases of resistance to ceftriaxone have been reported but are still rare. In 2011, there have been reports of a "Superbug" gonorrhea which is antibiotic resistant, specifically that this new strain is resistant to both cefixime (oral medication) and ceftriaxone (intravenous

Syphilis
Pox. Treponema pallidum. Scab. Syph. The Great Masquader.
Syphilis is spread by direct contact with a syphilis sore, usually during oral, vaginal, or anal sex. It can also be transmitted from mother to infant during pregnancy. In the early stages, it just appears as a painless rash. If left untreated, it can go on to cause disease in other organs of the body, including the central nervous system (neurosyphilis). Neurosyphilis may not cause any symptoms, or it can cause blindness, personality changes, dementia or even death. Some historians have attributed the madness of men such as Hitler to syphilis, although there has been very little data to support such theories. Syphilis is considered to be a genital ulcer disease. The chancres, or sores, that are the first symptoms of syphilis provide an easy route of entry into the body for other viruses, specifically HIV. Genital ulcer diseases put a person at an increased risk of HIV/AIDS.

 Signs and Symptoms

Primary Syphilis:

one or more chancres appear at the site where the syphilis bacteria enters the body. normally round, firm, and painless will heal on their own in 3-6 weeks usually show up within 3 months of infection If untreated will lead to secondary syphilis.

Secondary Syphilis: skin rash frequently on palms of hands and soles of feet usually rough, red and brown spots rash can occur in other colors and places genital ulcers flu-like symptoms Symptoms will resolve on their own, but if untreated will become tertiary syphilis. Tertiary Syphilis: difficulty making muscles move correctly paralysis numbness gradual blindness dementia Can eventually lead to death.

Treatment
Penicillin is effective in treating syphilis. In patients who are allergic to penicillin, tetracyclines or erythromycin may be used. For primary and secondary syphilis, antibiotic therapy for 7-10 days can treat the disease successfully. For the tertiary stage, treatmet must be maintained for over 21 days.

M. genitalium
A study released in June 2007 found that infections caused by a bacterium called Mycoplasma genitalium seem to have surpassed gonorrhea in prevalence to become the third most common STD among young people in the United States.

M. genitalium may be the sexually transmitted bacterium that, other than chlamydia, is
a main cause of nongonococcal urethritis in men. In women, it is commonly found in association with bacterial vaginosis; M. genitalium infections can also be associated with cervicitis. Most M. genitalium infections are asymptomatic, and doctors have not yet determined whether it is worthwhile to screen everyone for infection.

Signs and Symptoms

Women:

most cases have no symptoms vaginal itching burning on urination pain during intercourse Mycoplasma genitalium infection is also associated with bacterial vaginosis Men:

urethral discharge burning on urination pain and swelling of the joints (arthritis) many cases have no symptoms Mycoplasma is the most common cause of non-chlamydial non-gonoccocal urethritis in men.

 Treatment
urethritis orbacterial vaginosis, since direct diagnosis of an infection with the bacterium is so difficult. In either case, the infection is treated with antibiotics. The CDC 2006 treatment guidelines state that Azithromycin is more effective against M. genitalium than the other antibiotics usually used for urethritis treatment. Other research suggests that multi-day, as opposed to single dose, treatment with azithromycin may be most effective. A 10-day treatment regimen with Moxifloxacin may be a good option for those individuals with a mycoplasma infection when azithromycin is ineffective due to antibiotic resistance.

Mycoplasma genitalium is most often treated as non-gonococcal

Trichomoniasis
Trichomonas vaginitis; Trich

Trichomoniasis is a parasitic STD caused by a single celled organism known as Trichomonas vaginalis. It is a curable STD, but it is still extremely common. In fact, it is the most common curable STD in young women. The CDC estimates that there are more than 7 million new cases each year.

Signs and Symptoms

Most men with trichomoniasis dont have any symptoms. When they do, their symptoms are generally mild and include:

Discomfort in the penis Pain on urination/ejaculation Discharge

Symptoms in women are usually more severe than those seen in men, and generally occur within 1-4 weeks of initial infection. They include:

Frothy, colored discharge Strong vaginal odor Pain on intercourse/urination Irritation and itching of the vagina and surrounding area.

Treatment
Trichomoniasis is generally treated with a single oral dose of metronidazole. Women may recognize this as one of the drugs that is also used to treat bacterial vaginosis. It is important that your sexual partners be treated for trichomoniasis at the same time you are, and that you abstain from unprotected sex until your symptoms are gone, or else you will simply pass the disease back and forth.