Sexually Transmitted Diseases - Female Support Group

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) - also known as sexually transmissible diseases, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or (infrequently) venereal diseases (VD) - are diseases or infections that have a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of sexual contact: vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and/or anal sex.

All of the diseases on this list can be transmitted sexually. Some of the diseases on this list are commonly transmitted in other ways besides sexually; for example, HIV/AIDS is also commonly transmitted through the sharing of infected needles by drug users, and candidiasis, while it can be sexually transmitted, and SARS which can be spread through casual contact such as coughing and sneezing, is very often not associated with sexual activity.

Bacterial Diseases

• Chancroid (Haemophilus ducreyi)
• Chlamydia infection (Chlamydia trachomatis)
• Donovanosis (Granuloma inguinale or Calymmatobacterium granulomatis)
• Gonorrhea (Neisseria gonorrhoeae)
• Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) (Chlamydia trachomatis serotypes L1, L2, L3. See Chlamydia)
• Non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU) (Ureaplasma urealyticum or Mycoplasma hominis)
• Syphilis (Treponema pallidum)

Viral

• Cytomegalovirus
• Hepatitis (Hepatitis A and Hepatitis E are transmitted via the fæcal-oral route, not sexually; Hepatitis C is sexually transmittable)
• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis D
• Herpes /HSV (Herpes simplex virus)
• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV/AIDS)
• Human papillomavirus (HPV)
• Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)

Parasites

• Pubic lice a.k.a "crabs" (Phthirius pubis)
• Scabies (Sarcoptes scabiei)

Fungal

• Candidiasis (thrush) (Candida albicans) is not strictly an STD but can be transmitted through sexual contact

Protozoal

• Amoebiasis (Entamoeba histolytica)
• Giardiasis (Giardia lamblia)
• Trichomoniasis (Trichomonas vaginalis)

The first effective treatment for a sexually transmitted disease was salvarsan, a treatment for syphilis. With the discovery of antibiotics, a large number of sexually transmitted diseases became easily curable, and this, combined with effective public health campaigns against STDs, led to a public perception during the 1960s and 1970s that they had ceased to be a serious medical threat.

During this period, the importance of contact tracing in treating STIs was recognized. By tracing the sexual partners of infected individuals, testing them for infection, treating the infected and tracing their contacts in turn, STI clinics could be very effective at suppressing infections in the general population.

In the 1980s, first genital herpes and then AIDS emerged into the public consciousness as sexually transmitted diseases that could not be cured by modern medicine. AIDS in particular has an asymptomatic period, which allowed the disease to be spread to others, followed by a symptomatic period, which leads rapidly to death unless treated. Recognition that AIDS threatened a global pandemic led to public information campaigns and the development of treatments that allow AIDS to be managed by suppressing the HIV virus for as long as possible. Contact tracing continues to be an important measure, even when diseases are incurable, as it helps to contain infection.