Throughout the 1990s, the number of cases of bacterial STIs had been on the decline. But recent CDC data show that among 15-to-29-year-olds, these infections are increasingly common. To learn about these bacterial STIs, read carefully through the table below.
| Syphilis | Gonorrhea | Chlamydia | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pronounced | SIH fi lus | gon uh REE us | kla MID ee uh |
| Symptoms in Men | Primary (initial infection): dime-sized, painless sore called a chancre Secondary (after the chancre heals): sore throat, weakness, headache, weight loss, fever, muscle pain, rash that covers the body, including the soles of the feet Tertiary: tissue-destroying sores affect the skin as well as internal organs, even bones. Tissues of the heart and brain may be involved, and death may result. |
Painful urination, urgency to urinate, pus in the urine, discharge from the urethra. | Similar to symptoms of gonorrhea, but much milder. May not even be noticeable. |
| Symptoms in Women | Same as for males In a pregnant woman, the syphilis bacterium can cross the placenta and infect the fetus, causing bone deformities, lung damage, brain damage, blindness, and deafness. |
Pus-containing vaginal discharge, uterine bleeding, abnormally long and heavy menstrual periods. If pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) develops, symptoms include lower abdominal pain, pain during intercourse, bleeding between periods |
Similar to symptoms of gonorrhea, including development of PID. |
| Diagnosed with | Blood test | Microscopic examination of secretions | Microscopic examination of secretions |
| Treatment | Penicillin | Antibiotics (although antibiotic-resistant strains of gonorrhea bacteria are making treatment more difficult) | Antibiotics |
| Long-term Risks | See discussion of tertiary syphilis above. Typically, there are very few cases of tertiary syphilis in the United States because infected individuals have taken antibiotics for some other illness and cured an undiagnosed infection at the same time. |
In men, if infection spreads to the prostate, epididymis, and seminal vesicles, sterility can result. In women, infection can spread to the fallopian tubes causing pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID often results in sterility. During birth, infants’ eyes can be exposed to gonorrhea, which causes blindness if untreated. To prevent this, all newborns in the U.S. receive eye drops immediately after birth. |
In women, infection can spread to the fallopian tubes causing pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID often results in sterility. Infants born to mothers with chlamydia can develop not only serious eye infections but lung infections as well. Chlamydial pneumonia causes long-term damage to the lungs. |
