May 22, 2012
NEW: STI Awareness: Viral Hepatitis

Hepatitis isn’t commonly thought of as a sexually transmitted infection (STI) — for most people, hepatitis conjures images of contaminated food or unsanitary restaurants. But hepatitis should be on the radar of anyone who is sexually active. There are several different viruses that cause hepatitis, and some can be sexually transmitted, including hepatitis A (HAV), hepatitis B (HBV), and, to a lesser extent, hepatitis C (HCV).

While HBV is most efficiently transmitted through blood, it can also easily hitch rides from person to person via sexual fluids. However, we covered HBV in depth last year in observance of World Hepatitis Day. As May is Hepatitis Awareness Month, we’ll turn the spotlight on HAV and HCV for this month’s installment of our STI Awareness series.

LEARN MORE: http://blog.advocatesaz.org/2012/05/22/sti-awareness-viral-hepatitis

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Filed under: hepatitis virus STI STD hepatitis A hepatitis C sexually transmitted disease liver 
April 30, 2012
STI Awareness: Human Papillomavirus and the HPV Vaccine

More than six million Americans are infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) every year, making it one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. There are more than 100 different strains of the virus, some of which can cause genital warts and others of which can lead to cancer. In most cases, an HPV infection will clear up within eight to 13 months, but it can lurk undetected for years, which makes cancer screening very important for anyone who has been sexually active.

Most sexual activities – especially those involving genital-to-genital contact, i.e., vaginal and anal intercourse or simply rubbing genitals together, but also those involving oral and manual contact – can transmit HPV. Although HPV is best known for its connection to cervical cancer in women, it can affect either sex and cause cancers of the vulva, vagina, cervix, penis, anus, oral cavity, or pharynx.

READ MORE: http://blog.advocatesaz.org/2011/01/24/sti-awareness-human-papillomavirus-and-the-hpv-vaccine/

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Filed under: STD STI HPV virus sexually transmitted disease human papillomavirus 
April 29, 2012
Go Ahead and GYT You PYT!

As we previously informed you, April is “Get Yourself Tested” month!

Exciting, huh?!

Obviously we want to use this time to urge everyone to get themselves tested because it is so colossally important to know your STD status.

The CDC recommends being tested at least once a year if you engage in anything that can transmit HIV infection. This includes:

  • injecting drugs or steroids with used injection equipment
  • having sex for money or drugs
  • having sex with an HIV-infected person
  • having more than one sex partner since your last HIV test
  • having a sex partner who has had other sex partners since your last HIV test

Since I personally have never been tested at a Planned Parenthood facility, I decided to put on my “Woman About Town” cap and go through the process so I could blog about it here!  Continue reading →

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Filed under: STD Awareness Month STD STI sexually transmitted disease HIV AIDS 
April 27, 2012
STI Awareness: Antibiotic-Resistant Gonorrhea

Writing about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), one must walk the line between warning readers of risks and engaging in full-fledged alarmism. So it’s a bit disconcerting that researchers writing in the New England Journal of Medicine last month declared that it’s “time to sound the alarm”: The emergence of completely antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea is becoming more of a realistic threat and less of a theoretical possibility. The bacteria that cause gonorrhea are evolving faster than we can develop effective antibiotics against them, and a return to the era of untreatable gonorrhea could see a rise in the particularly nasty complications that arise from a long-term gonorrheal infection, such as pelvic inflammatory disease and epididymitis.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a species of tricky bacteria that cause gonorrhea, which can infect the mouth, throat, rectum, urethra, cervix, and even eyes. These bacteria have vexed us for thousands of years, having evolved many strategies for entrenching themselves in our bodies. They can alter the proteins that adorn their surfaces, rendering our immune systems incapable of recognizing them. They can form colonies in which they work together to manipulate our cell surfaces with their retracting appendages until they’re allowed entry inside, where they can surreptitiously multiply.

You’ve probably heard of MRSA, which is pronounced “mersa” and stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus — a strain of bacteria that has acquired resistance to methicillin, as well as pretty much every other antibiotic to boot. MRSA is an example of evolution by natural selection — what didn’t kill its ancestors made them stronger, spawning a drug-resistant strain.

Why are we talking about MRSA in a post about STIs? It’s not just because MRSA has apparently found a way to be transmitted sexually, but also because it helps make the concept of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea more accessible. It wasn’t until less than a century ago that we finally developed a magic-bullet treatment for gonorrhea, and for a handful of decades it was quickly and easily treated with a dose of penicillin. Enter evolution by natural selection. Continue reading →

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Filed under: bacteria MRSA evolution gonorrhea STD STI antibiotics sexually transmitted disease 
April 26, 2012
STI Awareness: “Can I Get an STD from Oral Sex?”

Many consider oral sex to be a safer form of sexual activity compared to vaginal or anal intercourse. For this reason, they might put less emphasis on the use of latex barriers, such as dental dams and condoms, during oral sex. Unfortunately, this idea is misguided and can lead to the transmission of preventable infections.

It is generally true that oral sex presents less of a risk for contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) – but this risk is not trivial, especially when people are under the impression that they don’t need to use barrier methods during oral sex. Most sexually transmitted infections can be passed along by oral sex, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis B, herpes (which can be transmitted back and forth from the mouth, as cold sores, to the genital region, as genital herpes), human papillomavirus (HPV), and HIV. Even pubic lice can be transferred from the genital region to eyelashes and eyebrows! Additionally, intestinal parasites are more likely to be transmitted via oral sex than through vaginal sex. A microscopic amount of fecal matter containing parasites can be infectious, and can be unknowingly ingested when present on genitals.

Some bacterial STIs, such as gonorrhea and syphilis, can do permanent damage if not treated in time. Furthermore, gonorrhea of the throat is much more difficult to treat than gonorrhea in the genital or rectal areas. And some viral STIs can’t be cured (such as herpes and HIV), while others can cause chronic infections that have been linked to cancer (such as hepatitis, which is associated with liver cancer, and HPV, which is associated with throat cancer as well as cervical cancer and anal cancer). Continue reading →

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Filed under: STD STI sex sexually transmitted disease abstinence condoms 
April 25, 2012
STI Awareness: Intestinal Parasites

What has eight flagella and can live in your intestines?

Most sexually transmitted infections are caused by bacteria or viruses, but some are caused by organisms that are classified as completely different lifeforms. Trichomoniasis, for example, is caused by a protozoan organism; protozoa occupy their own kingdom, separate from plants, animals, and bacteria. Intestinal parasites are often protozoan organisms, but can also include parasitic worms (which are members of the animal kingdom). They are spread through contact with fecal matter – and as such, they can be transmitted sexually as well as nonsexually. Intestinal parasites are usually transmitted by fecal contamination of food or water, and are most common in areas with insufficient sewage treatment and untreated water in the wilderness. Some pathogens, however, have low infectious doses, making their sexual transmission more likely.

Oral contact with the anus, also called anilingus or rimming, is the primary means of the sexual transmission of these pathogens. Putting fingers or hands in your mouth after they have had contact with the anus is also risky. Other modes of transmission include oral sex, as genitals can be contaminated with feces, as well as sharing sex toys and other equipment. For these reasons, it is very important to use dental dams or latex gloves during contact with the anus; to clean the anus before engaging in rimming; to clean or use condoms on shared sex toys; and to use condoms or dental dams during oral sex. Continue reading →

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Filed under: parasite parasites amoeba STD STI sex giardia protozoa microscopy 
April 23, 2012
STI Awareness: Cytomegalovirus and Molluscum Contagiosum

Most sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are caused by microorganisms – lifeforms that are too small to be seen without a microscope. Many STIs, however, are caused by viruses, which technically aren’t even alive. Rather, viruses are pieces of genetic information that are stored in protein capsules. When these capsules come into contact with a host cell, the genetic information is able to enter the cell and hijack its machinery so that the host cell manufactures copies of the virus, as well as potentially harmful viral proteins. Many well-known STIs, such as herpes and HIV/AIDS, are caused by viruses, but in this article we will focus on two lesser-known viral STIs, cytomegalovirus and molluscum contagiosum.

READ MORE: http://blog.advocatesaz.org/2011/11/08/sti-awareness-cytomegalovirus-and-molluscum-contagiosum/

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Filed under: virus STD STI CMV cytomegalovirus molluscum contagiosum warts 
April 20, 2012
STI Awareness: The Future of Treatment for HIV/AIDS

In 2006, an HIV-positive man was diagnosed with leukemia. First he received chemotherapy, and when the cancer returned his doctor recommended a stem-cell transplant with tissues obtained from a bone-marrow donor. After finding an unusually high number of compatible donors, his doctor, Gero Hütter, had a simple idea that would change the course of HIV research. Dr. Hütter knew of a rare genetic mutation that confers immunity to many strains of HIV, including the strain that infected his cancer patient. And new blood cells, including immune cells, are manufactured by bone marrow. What if he could find a bone-marrow donor with this mutation? What effect would it have on the HIV infection?

Five years after his cancer diagnosis, the man, known as the Berlin patient and recently identified as Timothy Ray Brown, is in remission from cancer … and the most sensitive tests have been unable to detect HIV anywhere in his body, despite the discontinuation of antiretroviral drugs. Scientists are a cautious lot, careful not to make grand statements without qualifying them with words like “seem” and “suggest.” But more and more, researchers are starting to say that Brown could be the first case in which a cure for HIV was attained.

READ MORE: http://blog.advocatesaz.org/2011/12/06/sti-awareness-the-future-of-treatment-for-hivaids/

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Filed under: virus AIDS HIV virus STD STI sexually transmitted disease medicine science research 
April 19, 2012
STI Awareness: Trichomoniasis

Trichomoniasis is caused by a protozoan organism called Trichomonas vaginalis, which inhabits the urogenital tract. This organism has flagella to move around and doesn’t need oxygen to survive. It can live in the vagina, urethra, or prostate, but is usually kept in check by bacteria that colonize the urogenital tract. However, if the normal pH is altered, it could lead to an imbalance of the regular urogenital flora and an overpopulation of T. vaginalis.

In order to colonize the urogenital tract, T. vaginalis must be able to adhere to the host’s cells, which it is able to do by producing enzymes that degrade the surfaces of the host’s cells. It is possible that T. vaginalis is unable to produce such enzymes unless triggered to do so by an environment with a sufficiently low pH. After adhering to the surface of a host cell, T. vaginalis is able to stretch its body to maximize the surface area between itself and the cell and can interdigitate some of its appendages with the host cell. The organism also eats bacteria (aiding in the imbalance of urogenital flora), its host cells (such as the epithelial cells in the vagina), and red blood cells (which it consumes for the fat and iron content). The cellular damage caused by the organism brings about inflammation, which is thought to increase the host’s risk for HIV infection. The immune response can also lead to symptoms such as pus and the pain and irritation that can accompany it.

READ MORE: http://blog.advocatesaz.org/2011/10/03/sti-awareness-trichomoniasis/

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Filed under: STD STI trich trichomoniasis protozoa microscopy 
April 18, 2012
NEW: STI Awareness: Genital Warts

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a hot topic these days thanks to the advent — and attendant controversy — of Gardasil, the vaccine that protects against four strains of this sexually transmitted virus. Discourse centers around HPV-16 and HPV-18, the two HPV strains that together are responsible for 70 percent of cervical cancers and 90 percent of anal cancers. However, Gardasil also protects against HPV-6 and HPV-11, two HPV strains that aren’t associated with cancer but rather with 90 percent of genital warts. While genital warts don’t have the potential to cause cancer and death, they can be very upsetting to the people who develop them.

READ MORE: http://blog.advocatesaz.org/2012/04/18/sti-awareness-genital-warts/

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Filed under: warts wart genital warts STI STD HPV human papillomavirus Gardasil vaccine sexually transmitted disease 
April 17, 2012
NEW: Practicing Safer Sex

Everyone who is sexually active is at risk for getting a sexually transmitted infection (STI). In fact, STIs seem so widespread that some health organizations predict nearly everyone could have an STI in their lifetime. The Guttmacher Institute reports that each year 1 in 4 teens contracts an STI. Untreated STIs can cause chronic conditions that could ultimately lead to infertility.

Practicing safe sex allows you to reduce your risks of getting an STI. Safe sex is not intended to eliminate spontaneity and passion, but is a way of enjoying sex without giving or getting STIs. It shows respect for yourself and your partner, and it must be practiced each and every time you have a sexual encounter.

Some ideas to make sex safer for you and your partner: http://blog.advocatesaz.org/2012/04/17/practicing-safer-sex/

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Filed under: condoms condom safe sex safer sex sex STD STI GYT 
April 16, 2012
STI Awareness: Syphilis

For centuries, syphilis had no effective cure. The best available treatment consisted of continual doses of mercury, which slowed the disease’s progression but was toxic to humans as well. It wasn’t until 1910 that scientists led by Paul Ehrlich synthesized an arsenic-based chemical that was marketed under the trade name Salvarsan. While it was certainly several steps up from mercury, it had to be given in small doses to avoid its toxic effects; it also had many unpleasant side effects, ranging from rashes to liver damage. Two years later, Neosalvarsan was released, with milder side effects, and was hailed as a “magic bullet” by journalists.

Unfortunately, this treatment regimen could take weeks, months, or even more than a year to administer, and it involved not just arsenicals but compounds based on mercury and bismuth as well, all with their own dangerous side effects. Malaria fever therapy, popular from the 1920s until the adoption of penicillin as a cure for syphilis, was used on patients with an advanced form of the infection, based on the idea that infecting a patient with malaria would induce a fever that could somehow kill T. pallidum. In the meantime, although arsenic-based therapies improved, such treatments were too expensive for most patients, and the long-term regimen was off-putting for many. This helped keep a great number of quack doctors in business. Various tonics, “blood purifiers,” treatments involving electric shock, and other alternative remedies were popular, but ultimately ineffective. Unfortunately, because syphilis goes into a latent phase, many people undergoing such treatments believed they had indeed been cured. As a health official noted in 1937,

[Q]uacks flourish and the sale of patent medicines for syphilis has become big business because even the severe and recognizable early symptoms usually are transitory. No matter what nostrum is taken; no matter how inadequate the treatment given, eventually these early signs and symptoms of the disease disappear. When they disappear, thousands of syphilis victims think themselves cured, not realizing that instead of cure, this marks the end of the period when the best chance for it is possible.

Although treatment for syphilis and other STIs is more accessible and effective than it was a century ago, bogus cures still abound, taking advantage of people’s embarrassment over receiving treatment from a medical provider.

READ MORE: http://blog.advocatesaz.org/2011/09/06/sti-awareness-syphilis/

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Filed under: bacteria syphilis history STD STI sexually transmitted disease medicine 
April 13, 2012
STI Awareness: Scabies and Pubic Lice

Latex barriers, such as condoms and dental dams, offer fantastic protection against most sexually transmitted infections (STIs). They are not 100 percent effective, however, and there are even some STIs for which latex poses no obstacle. Because barriers only cover a portion of the genital area, they do not offer sufficient protection against scabies or pubic lice, both of which are caused by infestations of tiny arthropods.

READ MORE: http://blog.advocatesaz.org/2011/05/23/sti-awareness-scabies-and-pubic-lice/

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Filed under: microscopy lice scabies STD STI sexually transmitted disease pubic lice 
April 12, 2012
STI Awareness: Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea, colloquially known as “the clap,” is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by sneaky bacteria called Neisseria gonorrhoeae. It is spread by vaginal, anal, and oral sex, and can infect certain cells in the throat, mouth, rectum, urethra, or cervix. It can also be transmitted manually to infect the eye. If you are sexually active, you can reduce risk of transmission by consistently and correctly using latex barriers such as condoms and dental dams.

READ MORE: http://blog.advocatesaz.org/2011/04/11/sti-awareness-gonorrhea/

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Filed under: gonorrhea STD STI sexually transmitted disease bacteria 
April 11, 2012
NEW: Over 90 Percent of What Planned Parenthood Does, Part 3: STI Testing

Welcome to the latest installment of “Over 90 Percent of What Planned Parenthood Does,” a series on Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona’s blog that highlights Planned Parenthood’s diverse array of services — the ones Jon Kyl doesn’t know about.

What is a sexually transmitted infection (STI)? It’s an infection that you receive or transmit through unprotected sexual contact. It can happen with one encounter or with multiple partners. Sometimes people say, “I’m a virgin, how can I get an STI?” These infectious diseases may be transmitted to another person through kissing or direct skin-to-skin contact, as well as bodily fluids such as blood, semen, or vaginal and cervical secretions.

READ MORE: http://blog.advocatesaz.org/2012/04/11/over-90-percent-of-what-planned-parenthood-does-part-3-sti-testing

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Filed under: GYT STD STI sexually transmitted disease Planned Parenthood 
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