Chapter 16 - Sexually Transmitted Infections Flashcards
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
Infections that can be communicated through sexual contact.
Bacteria
One-celled microorganisms that have no chlorophyll and can give rise to many illnesses.
Gonorrhea
An STI caused by the Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacterium and characterized by a discharge and burning urination.
Pharyngeal Gonorrhea
A gonorrheal infection that is characterized by a sore throat.
Ophthalmia Neonatorum
A gonorrheal infection of the eyes of newborn children who contract the disease by passing through an infected birth canal.
Cervicitis
Inflammation of the cervix.
Epididymitis
Inflammation of the epididymis.
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
Inflammation of the pelvic region; symptoms are abdominal pain, tenderness, nausea, fever, and irregular menstrual cycles; PID may lead to infertility.
Syphilis
An STI that is caused by the Treponema palladium bacterium, which may progress through several stages of development from a chancre to a rash to damage vital body systems.
Congenital Syphilis
A syphilis infection that is present at birth.
Cancre
A sore or ulcer.
Neurosyphilis
Syphilitic infection of the central nervous system, which can cause brain damage and death.
General Paresis
A progressive form of mental illness caused by neurosyphilis and characterized by gross confusion.
VDRL
Names after the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory, a test for the presence of antibodies to Treponema pallidum in the blood.
Antibodies
Specialized proteins that are produced by the white blood cells of the immune storm in response to disease organisms and other toxic substances, and that recognize and attack the invading organisms or substances.
Chancroid
An STI caused by the Hemophilis ducreyi bacterium. Also called soft chancre.
Shigellosis
An STI caused by the Shigella bacterium.
Granulomma Inguinale
A tropical STI caused by the Calymmatobacterium granulomatous bacterium.
Elehantiasis
A disease characterized by enlargement of parts of the body, especially the legs and genitals, and by hardening and ulceration of the surrounding skin.
Lymphogranuloma Venereum (LGV)
A tropical STI caused by the Chlamydia trachomatis bacterium.
Vaginitis
Any type of vaginal infection or inflammation.
Bacterial Vaginosis
A form of vaginitis usually caused by the Gardnerella vaginalis bacterium.
Candidadsis
A form of vaginitis caused by a yeastlike fungus, Candida albicans.
Tricomoniasis
A form of vaginitis caused by the protozoan Trichomonas vaginalis.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
A sexually transmitted virus that destroys while blood cells in the immune system, leaving the body vulnerable to life threatening diseases.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
A condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and characterized by destruction of the immune system so that the body is stripped of its ability to fend off life-threatening diseases.
Immune System
A term for the body’s complex of mechanisms for protecting itself from disease-causing agents such as pathogens.
Pathogen
An agent, especially a microorganism, that can cause a disease.
Leukocytes
White blood cells that are essential to the body’s defense against infection.
Antigen
A protein, toxin, or other substance to which the body reacts by producing antibodies.
Inflammation
Redness and warmth that develop at the site of an injury, reflecting dilation of blood vessels that permits the expanded flow of leukocytes to the region.
Opportunistic Disease
Diseases that take hold only when the immune system is weakened and unable to fend them off.
Seropositive
Having a pathogen or antibodies to that pathogen in the bloodstream.
Seronegative
Lacking a pathogen or antibodies to that pathogen in the bloodstream.
HAART
The acronym for “highly active antiretroviral therapy,” which refers to the combination or cocktail of drugs used to treat HIV/AIDS.
Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 (HSV-1)
The virus that causes oral herpes, which is characterized by cold sores or ever blisters on the lips or mouth.
Genital Herpes
An STI caused by the Herpes simplex virus type 2 and characterized by painful shallow sores and blisters on the genitals.
Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 (HSV-2)
The virus that causes genital herpes.
Ocular Herpes
A herpes infection of the eye, usually cause by touching and infected area of the body and then touching the eye.
Prodromal Symptoms
Warning symptoms that signal the onset of a disease.
Genital Warts
An STI that is caused by the human papilloma virus and takes the form of warts that appear around the genitals and the anus.
Hepatitis
An inflammation of the liver.
Jaundice
A yellowish discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes.
Molluscum Cantagiosum
An STI that is caused by a pox virus that causes painless raised lesions to appear on the genitals, buttocks, thighs, or lower abdomen.
Ectoparasites
Parasites that live on the outside of the host’s body.
Pediculosis
A parasitic infestation bt pubic lice (Pthirus pubis) that causes itching.
Scabies
A parasitic infection caused by a tiny mite (Sarcoptes scabie) that causes itching.
