contact dz

Disease

Symptoms

Causative Agent

Characteristics

Prevention

Diagnosis

Treatment

Miscellaneous

Trachoma

Conjunctivitis, scarring, inward curling of eyelashes, corneal cloudiness, potential blindness

Chlamydia trachomatis (serotype)

Gram-negative, coccobacillus, obligate intracellular parasite; Elementary Bodies (infectious) and Reticulate Bodies (replicating)

Handwashing, vector control

Primarily clinical based on symptoms

Surgery and antibiotics

Predisposing factors: unsanitary conditions, overcrowding, common among children; transmitted via hand-to-eye contact with discharge, contaminated items, sandflies

Gonorrhea

Men: Painful urination, yellow discharge, possible epididymitis; Women: Often fewer symptoms but can result in PID

Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Gram-negative bacterium, diplococcus with a capsule and fimbriae

Education and safe sex practices

Urine tests or swabs; PCR and culture methods

Antibiotics (Ceftriaxone injection, Azithromycin orally)

Attaches to epithelial mucosa using fimbriae; untreated can lead to systemic infections (endocarditis, meningitis, arthritis)

Genital Chlamydia

Men: Urethritis (painful urination and clear discharge); Women: Often asymptomatic, can result in PID

Chlamydia trachomatis (different serotype from Trachoma)

Obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacterium

Education and safe sex practices

Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests (NAAT) - PCR on vaginal or urine samples

Antibiotics (Azithromycin)

Primarily transmitted through sexual contact

Syphilis

Primary: Painless sore (chancre); Secondary: Skin rashes (especially on palms and soles); Latent: No symptoms; Tertiary: Gummas, arthritis, cardiovascular, neurological problems

Treponema pallidum

Gram-negative, spiral-shaped spirochete bacterium

Education and safe sex practices

Serological testing (direct/indirect methods)

Antibiotics effective in early stages

Progresses through multiple stages

Trichomoniasis

Men: Mostly asymptomatic, possible urethral discharge; Women: Frothy, foul-smelling discharge, painful urination

Trichomonas vaginalis

Protozoan parasite from Kingdom Protista

Education and safe sex practices

Microscopic identification of organism from swabs

Antiprotozoal drugs (Metronidazole)

Affects both genders

Genital Herpes

Painful vesicles on genitals; heals in about 2 weeks

Herpes Simplex Virus type 2 (HSV-2)

Enveloped, DNA virus from the Herpesviridae family

Education and safe sex practices

Culture or PCR methods

Antiviral medications (Acyclovir)

Incurable; primary infections lead to recurrent symptoms

Hepatitis B

Mild to severe

Hepatitis B Virus (HBV)

Enveloped, double-stranded DNA virus

Vaccination; education and safety handling

Null

Management only, including antivirals and potential liver transplant

Transmitted via sexual contact, needlestick injuries

Hepatitis C

Often asymptomatic; risk of chronic infection leading to severe liver damage

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)

Enveloped, single-stranded RNA virus

No vaccine; education and safety handling

Null

Management only, including antivirals and potential liver transplant

Primarily transmitted through blood (IV drug use, transfusions); not an STD

HIV/AIDS

Stages from asymptomatic to full-blown AIDS, with specific opportunistic infection risks at advanced stages; CD4+ T cell depletion

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)

Retrovirus, affects CD4+ T cells

No vaccine; safe practices (safe sex, avoiding contaminated needles)

Null

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) to suppress viral load (e.g., HAART, Fusion/Cell Entry Inhibitors, Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors, Integrase Inhibitors, Protease Inhibitors)

Initial recognition of AIDS in 1981, HIV identified in 1983; transmitted via sexual contact, contaminated needles, breast milk, transplacental; not exclusively transmitted through sexual contact