Sexually Transmitted Diseases Flashcards
Worldwide, _______ new cases of STDs occur annually.
15 million (probably an underestimate due to unreported cases)
At what age is the peak incidence for STDs?
#1) 20-24 years old (college) #2) 15-19 years old (high school)
Of the _____ leading infectious diseases that must be reported to the CDC, _______ are STDs. What are the two common STDs that do not require reporting?
10
5
genital herpes and genital HPV
Syphilis (lues) is a chronic infection caused by the _______ Treponema pallidum.
spirochete
(remember, these little boogers are extremely motile and can swim through heavy connective tissue. Think of a snake…a Snake in a teepee (T.pallidum)… Spirochete… Syphilis)
True or False: Syphilis is 30 times more common in African Americans than whites.
True
notice that it says African Americans…not simply, “Africans”
How is syphilis transmitted?
direct contact with cutaneous or mucosal lesions during early stages (primary or secondary) at which point it is highly infectious
Do syphilis organisms (aka: the bacteria T.pallidum) disseminate to distant sites?
Yes, very rapidly through the bloodstream and lymphatics
There are _____stages of a syphilis infection. At which stage is it least contagious?
three
Tertiary = fewer lingering organisms = less infectious
What is the tell-tale sign of Primary Syphilis?
Chancre
What is a chancre?
a painless ulcer that develops at the site of inoculation (most often the external genitalia; but oral sites are also common)
A chancre will appear at the site of inoculation ______ days after the initial infection.
9 to 90 days
pretty large window, a sex-pot might have trouble figuring out who it’s from!
True or False: Syphilis can spontaneously resolve.
True, it can resolve within 4-6 weeks
HOWEVER, untreated patients will likely develop secondary stage disease (about 25% of patients to be exact)
It what way does the host mount an immune response against syphilis? What stage is this occurring?
production of antibodies (meanwhile, the organism continues to disseminate systemically)
occurs in the PRIMARY stage
True or False: Palmar rashes may occur during the Primary stage of syphilis.
False, palmar rashes denote secondary stage
How long does it take for Syphilis to reach the Secondary stage?
two months AFTER resolution of the primary chancre
tricky….just when they thought it was gone for good
In the secondary stage of syphilis, a _______ rash may affect the skin of the hands and feet.
maculopapular
MAC is no LOnger PoPULAR now that he has syphilis
Condyloma lata and ______ patches may affect the mucosa. Which is genital and which is oral?
mucous patches: oral
condyloma lata: genital
Secondary Syphilis resolves spontaneously over several weeks and patient will enter the ______ phase.
Latent
if still left untreated, the 1/3 of patients develop teriary syphilis 5 to 20 years later
What are the three forms of Tertiary Syphilis? Which occurs most often?
- Aortitis- “Cardiovascular” MOST COMMON
- Neurosyphilis- brain, meninges, spinal cord
- Gummas- focal granulomatous lesions
Gummas are focal granulomatous lesions that occur in _____, ______, and _____ of the upper airway or mouth. This occurs in which stage of syphilis?
bone, skin, mucous membranes
Tertiary Syphilis
What is meant by “congenital syphilis?”
maternal transmission of the disease across the placenta
What are the three possible patterns/outcomes of maternal syphilis transmission?
- Stillbirth (early fetal death)
- Infantile Syphilis
- Late Congenital Syphilis
What is the manifestation of “infantile syphilis?”
live-born infants that present (immediately or within the first few months) with clinical signs of SECONDARY syphilis
What is “Late Congenital Syphilis?”
(transmission is largely dependent on how long the mother has been infected with the disease. Two years is the cut-off)
Late Congenital: mother was untreated >2 years
=HUTCHINSON’s TRIAD
