Thursday, December 21, 2017

Differences between Bacterial Transmitted Diseases and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD)

When it comes to your health, knowing the facts is crucial. One thing that seems complicated is what distinguishes bacterial STD’s from viral STD’s.
Bacterial and viral STD’s (like Blue Waffles disease) are caused by different pathogens. Bacterial sexually  transmitted diseases are caused by bacteria that enter the body either through skin contact or body fluids. This is where the lines can get blurred – viral STD’s also enter the body via skin contact or body fluids. The variation here is that a virus is introduced to your body instead of bacteria. A virus, which is a small infectious agent, can only regenerate within living cells of an organism. Bacteria are living cells that cause infections.


The large difference you should note is the treatment options for bacterial and viral STD’s. Bacterial STDs’ such as gonorrhea, syphilis (which you can see as it looks under a microscope above), and chlamydia are often cured with the use of antibiotics. Although it does not prevent the diseases from ever coming back, it can remove the infection after treatment. If left untreated, bacterial STD’s can lead to long-term health concerns like sterility or even death.


With viral STD’s, there are no cures, only diminished symptoms. The ‘4’ HS of viral STD’s to remember are HIV, HPV, Herpes, and Hepatitis B. Hepatitis B and HPV are the only viral STD’s that can be prevented with a vaccine, but it is only effective if treated before the disease has entered the body.

The main difference between these two categories of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), now more commonly referred to as sexually transmitted infections, or STI’s, is what causes them — bacterial STI’s are caused by bacteria and viral STI’s are caused by viruses. As a result of being caused by different micro organisms, bacterial and viral STI’s vary in their treatment. Bacterial STI’s, such as gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia, are often cured with antibiotics. Viral STI’s viz. HIV, HPV, Herpes, and Hepatitis — the ‘4’ HS — have no cure. However many of their symptoms can be alleviated with treatment. Luckily, there are vaccines that are available to help prevent both HPV and Hepatitis; talking with your health care provider about whether you should be vaccinated for either of these infections is a good idea.


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