What You Should Know About STIs

1. What You Should Know About STIs Partnership for Environmental Education and Rural Health (PEER) http://peer.tamu.edu) Texas A&M University

2. What is an STI? • STI stands for sexually transmitted infection. • Sometimes an STI is referred to as an STD, a sexually transmitted disease. • An STI is a disease that is passed from one person to another through sexual activity. • Some STIs can be transmitted through nonsexual means as well.

3. What causes an STI? • STIs, like other diseases, are caused by microscopic organisms that are not normally in your body. • They can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites.

4. Why Is This Important? • STIs can cause a variety of symptoms, from discomfort, to permanent bodily damage, to death. • AIDS, an STI, is the leading cause of death worldwide among those age 15-59. • STIs can be passed from a pregnant mother to her child.

5. How can I avoid getting an STI? • Be safe and be smart! • Avoid unsafe situations • Educate yourself about STIs

6. Ready to learn more? • The following slides will tell you more about specific STIs. • See if you can spot any general trends.

7. Bacterial STIs A photomicrograph of the bacterium that causes syphilis. Courtesy of: the CDC Public Health Image Library

8. Chlamydia • Caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. (note: bacterium is the singular form of bacteria) • Symptoms (primarily in males, appear 1-3 weeks after infection): • genital discharge • painful urination. • Can be cured with antibiotics.

9. Chlamydia • Can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, which can cause infertility in women. • 3 million new cases a year (the most common bacterial STI).

10. Chlamydia Courtesy of: the CDC Public Health Image Library This is a picture of the bacteria that cause chlamydia, taken using a light microscope.

11. Gonorrhea • Caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. • Symptoms (primarily in males, appear 1 to 14 days after infection): • genital discharge • painful urination. • Can be cured with antibiotics.

12. Gonorrhea • Can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, which can cause infertility in women. • 700,000 new cases in the U.S. each year.

13. Gonorrhea Courtesy of: the CDC Public Health Image Library This is a picture of the bacteria that cause gonorrhea, taken using an electron microscope.

14. Syphilis • Caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. • Can be cured with antibiotics, but any damage done to the body cannot be reversed.

15. Syphilis • Develops in three stages over several years: • (3-4 weeks after infection) a sore forms near genitalia or near the mouth. • (2-6 months after infection) a red rash forms on the face hands, or feet. • (later) serious brain and heart complications. • About 32,000 cases in America every year.

16. Syphilis Courtesy of: the CDC Public Health Image Library This is a picture of the bacterium that causes syphilis, taken using a light microscope.

17. Syphilis Courtesy of: the CDC Public Health Image Library These images show symptoms associated with the various stages of syphilis. The picture on the left shows a sore associated with primary syphilis. The picture in the middle shows a rash associated with secondary syphilis. The picture on the right shows damage to the leg resulting from tertiary (late stage) syphilis.

18. Viral STIs An electron micrograph of the human immunodeficiency virus. Courtesy of: the CDC Public Health Image Library

19. AIDS • Caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). • Symptoms (do not emerge for several years): • Fatigue • rapid weight loss • night sweats • whitish coating on the tongue • purplish growths on the skin.

20. AIDS • HIV attacks the immune system, making you susceptible to other infections and diseases. • Antiviral drugs can slow the progress of the disease, but they cannot cure an infected person. • 900,000 people are currently infected in the U.S.

21. AIDS Courtesy of: the CDC Public Health Image Library On the left is a photo of HIV virus particles, taken using an electron microscope. The patient on the right has oral hairy leukoplakia, which is caused by a different virus. People with AIDS becoem more succeptible to this and other infections, because AIDS attacks their immune systems.

22. Genital Herpes • Caused by herpes simplex virus type 2. • Symptoms include blisters and sores in the genital region that last for 1 or 2 weeks. • Symptoms can disappear for long periods, but the virus never leaves the body.

23. Genital Herpes • Antiviral drugs can help control outbreaks of symptoms, but cannot cure an infected person. • Affects at least 45 million Americans, with 1 million new cases a year.

24. Genital Herpes Courtesy of: the CDC Public Health Image Library This is a picture of herpes simplex virus particles, taken using an electron microscope.

25. Hepatitis B • Caused by the hepatitis B virus. • Symptoms: • yellow skin • Fever • loss of appetite • Tiredness • joint pain. • Can cause severe liver damage. • Can be prevented with a vaccine.

26. Hepatitis B • About 90% of adults who are infected with hepatitis will have no symptoms and will be cured automatically. • The other 10% develop a chronic infection that cannot be cured. • About 78,000 Americans are infected with hepatitis B each year, and there are 1.25 million Americans currently infected.

27. Hepatitis B Courtesy of: the CDC Public Health Image Library On the left is a photograph of hepatitis B virus particles, taken using an electron microscope. The patient on the right has a distended abdomen from a chronic hepatitis B infection.

28. Human papillomavirus • Caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). • Some strains can lead to genital warts (symptoms usually do not emerge for 1-3 months). • Some strains can lead to certain cancers.

29. Human papillomavirus • Warts are treated by applying a drug to the skin or by freezing the warts. • About 20 million Americans are currently infected, and about 6.2 million Americans get a new infection every year.

30. Parasitic STIs A photo of the pubic louse. Courtesy of: the CDC Public Health Image Library

31. Pubic Lice • Caused by the insect Phthirus pubis. • Symptoms: • itching in the genital region • visible lice or eggs. • Can be cured with insecticides

32. Pubic Lice Courtesy of: the CDC Public Health Image Library On the left is a photo of a pubic louse (louse is the singular form of lice). On the right is a patient infected with public lice.

33. Scabies • Caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei (related to the spider) • Symptoms: • Itching • rash. • Cured with insecticides

34. Scabies Courtesy of: the CDC Public Health Image Library On the left is the mite that causes scabies. On the right is a person infected with scabies.

35. Trichomoniasis • Caused by the parasitic protozoan Trichomonas vaginalis. • Symptoms (usually occur only in females): • genital discharge • itching.

36. Trichomoniasis • Can be cured with drugs. • About 7.4 million cases per year in the U.S.

37. Trichomoniasis Courtesy of: the CDC Public Health Image Library This is a picture of the parasite that causes trichomoniasis, taken using a light microscope.

38. Did you see any trends? • See if you can answer the following questions before you look at the answers

39. Can all STIs be cured? • No. If an STI is caused by a bacterium or a parasite, it can usually be cured. If it is caused by a virus, though, it cannot usually be cured.

40. Do all STIs show symptoms? • No. Some STIs, like human papillomavirus and hepatitis B, only show symptoms in a small percentage of the people who become infected. Others, like chlamydia and gonorrhea show symptoms primarily in one sex and not the other. Even if an STI does not show symptoms, though, it can still be transmitted to other people.

41. How do you know if you have an STI? • The only way to be certain is to see a doctor. If you show any of these symptoms or if you have been exposed to any of these diseases, you should get yourself tested, since many STIs are treatable and even curable.

42. Want to learn even more? Click on these links for more information: • Fact sheet from the National Institutes of Health • Fact sheet from the Australian Medical Association • Informative website from iwannaknow.org