Indeterminate gram stain

Obligate intracellular parasite

1 of 2 of the smallest known microbes

Forms inclusion bodies with alternating life cycle forms

Nationally Notifiable

Chlamydiosis

Clamydia trachomatis

For females, symptoms begin asymptomatically, but can progress to cervicitis and PID, possible urethritis/proctitis

For males, dysuria, penile discharge, prostatitis, epidymitis, possible urethritis/proctitis

Transmitted sexually through the mucosa of penis, vagina, throat, or rectum

Pilus of bacteria aids in attachment to epithelial cells

Gram (-) dipplococcus, capnophillic STI

nationally notifiable

commonly co-infects with chlamydia

Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Gonorrhoeae

Males: urethral discharge and dysuria

Females:  most are asyptomatic, but can present with vaginal discharge, PID, ultimately infertility

transmitted sexually through the mucosa of penis, vagina, throat, or rectum with the help of the bacterial pilus (strongest biological motor)

Urethritis caused by an etiology other than neisseria gonorrhoeae

lack a cell wall (3 pathogens)

generally known as Nongonococcal Urethritis (NGU)

3 types:  Mycoplasma hominis

Mycoplasma genitalium

Ureaplasma urealyticum

4th type of Nongonococcal Urethritis that does have a cell wall, but the gram stain is indeterminate

typical for urethritis

obligately intracellular

a tightly wound, slender spirochete

nationally notifiable

transmits through minute abrasions in the skin and mucus membranes, sexual contact, and transplacental

3 week incubation period

treponema pallidum

syphilis

the primary form of this presents with an open chancre at the site of infxn that is painless and heals in 3-6 weeks w/o treatment

the secondary form of this presents with nonitching skin rash and lesion of mucus membranes

-also presents with lymphadenopathy, fever, headaches, weight loss, fatigue

-can resolve w/o treatment

the tertiary form of this becomes hidden/latent

-can cause damage to the brain, heart, eyes, joints, paralysis, blindness, dementia, and eventually death

dsDNA noneveloped virus

low risk:  genital warts

high risk:  cervical cancer

most infections are asymptomatic

~50% of sexually active people acquire this STI at some point

99% of cervical cancers are caused by this STI

HPV

human papilloma virus

dsDNA enveloped virus

virus travels from site of infxn to DRG => latency

Type 1:  cold sores

Type 2:  vesicles break down to form ulcers, local clymph node swelling, fever, headache, malaise, dysuria

Herpes simplex virus:

type 1: herpes labialis

type 2: genital herpes

variable gram stain, capnophilic, facultatively anaerobic rod

-excessive malodorous vaginal discharge and vaginal pH greater than 4.5

-presents with trichomonas infxn 10-15% of the time

Garderella vaginalis

Vaginitis/Vaginosis

actively motile trophozoites

-copious vaginal discharge as well as increased pH, burning, and itching

Trichomonas vaginalis

Vaginitis/Vaginosis

yeast with pseudohyphae

-stains gram (+) but is 2-3X bigger than staph aureus

occurs due to overgrowth of candida by 20-30%

Candida albicans

Vaginitis/Vaginosis

organism that infects public/perianal hair, possibly also axillary/facial hair

-may be asymptomatic or extreme pruritus

-sex, locker rooms, gyms, and beds

-blue spots on the host from local tissue necrosis at the site of the bite

Phthirus pubis

pubic/axillary/facial lice

this organism prefers hairless skin

-symptoms include severe pruritus even after treatment

-commonly is a secondary infxn from Staph/Strep

-transmission is from close physical contact/sexual

sites of infection:

-men:  genetalia

-women:  breasts

-children:  face, neck, scalp, hands, feet

-pathogenesis:  arthropod induces allergic rxn to eggs, mites, and waste from burrowing organism