Abstract Malaria is a bloodborne protozoan parasite mostly transmitted from person to person by bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes in tropical and subtropical regions. Despite a substantial reduction in the malaria burden observed since 2010, largely attributed to effective…
Abstract Travel in the broadest sense means going from one place to another, especially journeys to distant or unfamiliar places, and the theme of travel being associated with exposure to exotic infectious diseases (IDs) has been a recurring one throughout…
Abstract Bacterial vaginosis (BV), the most common cause of vaginal discharge in the United States, is not traditionally described as a sexually transmitted infection (STI) but is well documented to be sexually associated. In the United States, two STIs—chancroid and…
Abstract Syphilis is a complex systemic disease caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum . Syphilis is transmitted sexually or congenitally and can involve nearly every organ system. Its clinical progression involves several well-characterized stages: (1) an incubation period…
Abstract Diagnosis of infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), commonly known as gonorrhea, is important because the sequelae of untreated gonorrhea can include pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), perihepatitis, ectopic pregnancy, infertility, and chronic pelvic pain in women and epididymitis or infertility…
Abstract Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular bacterium that infects mucosal surfaces of humans, including oropharyngeal, anogenital, and conjunctival surfaces. C. trachomatis can be classified through molecular typing into strains causing ocular infections (trachoma), nonulcerative oropharyngeal and/or anogenital infections (chlamydia),…
Abstract Genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is estimated to be the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States and worldwide. Oncogenic, or “high-risk” HPV types, such as HPV types 16 and 18, can cause cervical and other…
Abstract Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a sexually transmitted infection that causes progressive immune dysfunction, putting affected individuals at risk for opportunistic infections and certain cancers. It was first recognized in the early 1980s, when men who had sex with…
Abstract Genital herpes is a globally endemic sexually transmitted infection (STI) and the most common cause of genital ulcer disease. Classically, genital herpes manifests as a cluster of painful vesicular or ulcerative mucocutaneous lesions; however, such presentations account for a…
Abstract Trichomonas vaginalis is estimated to be the most common treatable sexually transmitted infection (STI) worldwide. It is an important contributor to perinatal morbidity, cervical cancer, poor sperm quality, and HIV acquisition and transmission. Less is known about the importance…