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Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
What causes it?
Chlamydia
Chlamydia is caused by the bacterium, Chlamydia trachomatis. This bacterium may infect men, women, and newborns. If symptoms occur, they usually appear approximately 7 to 21 days after infection. Chlamydia can also be passed from an infected mother to her newborn child during childbirth. If symptoms occur in a newborn, they usually appear 7 to 14 days after delivery and pneumonia may result when the infant is 2 to 3 weeks old.
Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is caused by the bacterium, Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The bacterium may infect men, women, children and newborns. The bacteria can grow in moist areas of the reproductive tract, including the cervix (opening to the uterus), uterus, and fallopian tubes (fallopian tubes connect the ovaries to the uterus) in females and in the urethra (the canal through which urine passes to the outside of the body) in both males and females. The bacteria can also grow in the eyes, mouth, throat, and anus. Gonorrhea can also be passed from an infected mother to her newborn child during childbirth.
Syphilis
Syphilis is caused by the bacterium, Treponema pallidum. This bacterium may infect men, women, children, and newborns. Symptoms of infection generally occur between 10 and 90 days after contact with an infected partner. Syphilis can also be passed from an infected mother to her newborn infant during childbirth.
Trichomoniasis
Trichomoniasis is caused by the single-celled protozoan parasite called Trichomonas vaginalis. It is caused by a parasite that can be passed from one person to another. The parasite is sexually transmitted through penis-to-vagina intercourse or vulva-to-vulva contact with an infected partner. The vulva is the genital area outside the vagina. Women can get the disease from infected men or women.
While trichomoniasis is usually passed sexually, it may be picked up from contact with damp or moist objects such as towels, wet clothing, or a toilet seat, if the genital area gets in contact with these damp or moist objects. The vagina is the most common site of infection in women, and the urethra is the most common site of infection in men.
Herpes
Genital herpes is almost always sexually transmitted. It is an infection caused by the herpes simplex virus, one of the same family of viruses that causes chicken pox, cold sores, and mononucleosis. Two different types of herpes simplex viruses can cause herpes.
Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) usually causes oral herpes (cold sores or fever blisters) on the face and mouth. HSV-1 infection of the genitals can be caused by oral-genital or genital-genital contact with a person who has HSV-1 infection. Genital HSV-1 outbreaks recur less regularly than genital HSV-2 outbreaks.
Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) usually causes genital herpes. Genital HSV-2 infection is more common in women (approximately one out of four women) than in men (almost one out of five). This may be due to male-to-female transmissions being more likely than female-to-male transmission.
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What causes it?
