Sexually transmitted infections (STIs, sometimes called STDs) can make it 2-5 times more likely to acquire or transmit HIV. For HIV positive guys, having an STD can cause viral shedding and can lead to an increased viral load. For HIV negativeguys, the immune system is already under attack from the STD, making immune suppression more likely. In either case, STDs can cause open sores that can make it easier for HIV to get into the bloodstream.

STDs can be both bacterial and viral. This distinction is important for treatment. Bacterial STDs can be treated with antibiotics and completely eradicated from a person’s body. Viral STDs (which tend to start with the letter ‘H’) cannot be cured, although treatments can mitigate outbreaks and effects.

Getting tested for STDs is an easy process: a blood draw or urine test for syphilis and oral and rectal swabs for the presence of pharyngeal (oral) or rectal gonorrhea and chlamydia. When diagnosed with an STD, you can request partner packs of medication to give to your recent sexual partners.

An important fact to note is that most STDs appear as asymptomatic, or without symptoms. Getting tested for STDs every three to six months is an effective way to catch most asymptomatic STDs.

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Bacterial STDs: the Basics            

Gonorrhea and Chlamydia are bacterial STDs that are very similar in nature.
• Both are transmitted via oral, vaginal, or anal sex.
• Symptoms for men include a watery white drip from the penis, the need to urinate more often, and the sensation of burning or pain while urinating. Both can be found in either the mouth or in the rectum.
• Both can be treated with antibiotics.

Syphilis is a bacterial STD that affects the body in three stages.
• It is transmitted through direct contact with a syphilis sore, via oral, vaginal, or anal sex.
• The first stage is marked by painless, red-brown sores (called chancres) that appear on the hands, genitals, and/or mouth that last between 1-5 weeks.
• The second stage is marked by a skin rash and lesions on mucous membrane that appear along with flu-like feelings. • The third stage, called latent syphilis, often appears 10-20 years after an untreated infection occurs, and causes internal organ damage, especially in the nervous system.
• The first stage of syphilis can be treated with penicillin or other antibiotics. The second stage can be treated, but i

Viral STDs: the Basics

Hepatitis A & B: two viruses very similar in nature than can cause extreme liver damage. Hep-A is mostly transmitted through feces.
• You can be vaccinated for Hep-A & B. Immunizations require having three injections over the course of a few months.
• Hep-B can be transmitted via blood or body fluids containing blood and through intravenous drug use.
• Symptoms include jaundice, fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, but roughly 30% of people infected with Hep-B are asymptomatic.

Hepatitis C is also a virus causing liver inflammation.
• It is transmitted via blood-to-blood contact. In the United States, the primary route of transmission is through intraveneous drug use.
• Some cases of sexual contact have been reported as the route of transmission for Hep-C; however these involved coming into contact with blood via intense assplay or blood sports.
• Most people experience no signs or symptoms of infection. Symptoms can include, however, jaundice, fatigue, dark urine, nausea, and the loss of appetite.
• Unlike Hep-A & B, there is no vaccination for Hep-C.

Herpes refers to a disease caused by two of the herpes simplex viruses (HSV), HSV-1 and HSV-2.
• Herpes is transmitted via sexual contact with sores.
• HSV-1 causes oral herpes, or cold sores.
• HSV-2 causes genital herpes, marked by small, painful blisters on, or near, the genitals that itch or burn.
• The blisters last 1-3 weeks, and may disappear.
• There is no cure for herpes, but antiviral medications can shorten or prevent outbreaks.

HPV, or the human papillomavirus, is the most commonly transmitted STD.
• It’s transmitted via sores and their associated outbreaks and shedding, as well as through oral, vaginal, and anal sex.
• The vast majority of people with HPV don’t develop any symptoms, but certain types of HPV can cause genital warts that can be removed surgically.
• Other strains of HPV have been linked to precancerous dysplasia, which can lead to cervical cancer in women and anorectal cancer in men.
• There is no treatment for the virus itself, but in 90% of the cases, the body’s immune system clears HPV infection naturally within two years.
• For people who are sexually active, regular pap smear tests through a medical provider can detect dysplasia that might cause either anorectal or cervical cancer. For men who regularly bottom in anal sex, this is important to preventively screen for anal dysplasia. (LINKS TO HPV STUFF)

Parasitic STDs: the Basics

Giardiasis is caused by the parasite giardia.
• While transmission typically occurs via contaminated water, when giardiasis is transmitted sexually it is usually through rimming or during ass-to-mouth contact (such as when oral sex happens after unprotected anal sex).
• Symptoms begin 1-2 weeks after infection, and can last between 2 and 6 weeks.
• Symptoms include abdominal cramps, explosive diarrhea, vomiting, and fever. Watery diarrhea generally cycles with constipation.
• Giardiasis can be treated with antibiotics.

Crabs, or public lice, are parasitic insects that spend their lives on human hair.
• Pretty much any skin-to-skin contact, typically through sex, can spread crabs.
• If you have crabs, it is recommended that you contact all sex partners from the previous month for evaluation and treatment.
• Symptoms include the itching and burning of the pubic area, although the itching may spread to the armpit.
• The itching can often be worse at night.
• Crabs can be treated with a skin cream. Shaving of all hair in the affected areas is necessary to remove all the dead lice.           

Scabies is a contagious parasitic skin infection caused by mites.
• Scabies can be transmitted via any kind of skin-to-skin contact with an infected person. It can also be spread by clothing, bedding, or towels.
• Symptoms generally include intense itching and a generalized rash. Scabies mites burrow under the skin, and can cause bites that may look like pimples. These burrows are often located in the crevasses of the body, such as as between fingers, toes, buttocks, elbows, waist area, and on the genitals.
• If diagnosed with scabies, treatment can include washing all clothing in very hot water and drying on high heat. Permethrin sprays can be used for clothing items that cannot be laundered.
• Scabies can be treated with antibiotics, either through an applied cream or via oral pills (the cream is the preferred method).
• People with compromised immune systems could be susceptible to crusted (or Norwegian) scabies. With crusted scabies, the scabies can spread over the whole body, excluding the face. These require additional treatment.