WOMEN’S BODIES: BACTERIAL STDS. GONORRHOEA AND CHLAMYDIA
Some STDs caused by bacteria share or overlap in the way they are transmitted, the effects they produce and their treatments, so it’s convenient to consider them together. The most important of these are gonorrhoea and chlamydia. Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) may be caused by either infection alone, other micro-organisms, or any combination of these.
Gonorrhoea
Gonorrhoea is caused by a bacterium called Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The disease and its association with sex has been known for hundreds of years, however until 1889 the germ that causes it wasn’t recognized. It’s named after its discoverer, Dr Albert Neisser. Another name for gonorrhoea was clap. The term ‘clap’ was used for centuries and is thought to be derived from the Les Clapier district of Paris where many prostitutes worked.
What is chlamydia?
This is a family of bacteria that is widespread in nature and causes a variety of illnesses in animals and birds. One species, Chlamydia trachomatis, is exclusive to humans. There are many different subtypes of this chlamydia. Some sub-types cause trachoma, a serious eye infection that can lead to blindness. Most sub-types of Chlamydia trachomatis can be sexually transmitted to cause a range of infections in the female and male genital and lower urinary tracts, and from mothers to cause serious infection in newborn babies.
Though there is plenty of evidence that chlamydia has been causing disease since ancient times, it wasn’t identified until 1940, and it wasn’t until around 1980 that simple and reliable tests for it were developed. Since then, it’s been discovered that sexually transmitted genital tract, urethral and rectal infections due to chlamydia are very common in women and men.
At present there is thought to be a worldwide epidemic of chlamydial infection. This is often called the ‘silent epidemic’, because most infected people have minimal or no symptoms and can pass on the infection unwittingly.
Gonorrhoea and chlamydia attack only certain cells in the body: the columnar epithelial cells such as those that line the cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes, urethra, rectum and epididymis. These parts are all prone to infection during unprotected sexual intercourse with an infected person. A woman is more likely to be infected during one episode of sexual intercourse with an infected man than vice versa.
After invading a columnar cell, the germs begin to multiply and continue to do so until the cell bursts. The bacteria released invade nearby cells, and so the process goes on. The organisms can’t survive for long outside columnar cells because they need the energy produced by these cells to live and grow, but once infection is established in a lining membrane, inflammation develops and spreads in the tissues beneath the columnar cells, leading to pus formation and scarring.
Other bacteria that may cause similar effects to gonorrhoea and chlamydia include Ureaplasma unrealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis. Most people carry these germs in their genital tracts without them causing disease (in this situation treatment is not usually advised), but in some circumstances they can overgrow and cause inflammation. If someone has symptoms and signs of inflammation in the genital tract and only these germs can be demonstrated, they are assumed to be the cause and are treated.
*293/31/5*
Related Posts:
Categories: Women's Health | Tags: Women’s Health
