(c)
Fever.
(d)
Dyspareunia (painful intercourse).
(e) Pressure on the lower abdomen during a pelvic examination is
painful.
NOTE:
Even in these infections that persist over a long period of time, there may be
no signs or symptoms.
e. Treatment. Several antibiotics are effective in treating chlamydial infections.
Tetracycline (doxycycline) is currently the drug of choice except for pregnant females.
Alternative drugs are erythromycin and sulfamethoxazole. The drug of choice for
pregnant females is erythromycin.
NOTE:
Penicillin is NOT effective against chlamydial infections.
f. Additional Considerations. In many instances, individuals with chlamydial
infections do not have signs or symptoms. In some cases, there are signs and
symptoms of the infection. An individual diagnosed as having a chlamydial infection
who has symptoms should notify any sexual partner with whom he has had sex in the
thirty days before the appearance of infection symptoms. The sexual partner or
partners need to seek medical evaluation and treatment.
2-7.
SYPHILIS
Syphilis is a chronic, infectious, venereal disease which was first publicly noted in
the late fifteenth century when this disease reached epidemic proportions in Europe.
The disease proved fatal to most who contracted it. Today about 25,000 new cases of
syphilis are reported in the United States each year. If the patient is treated early, the
chances for a complete cure are good. Without treatment, syphilis leads to crippling or
death.
a. Etiology. Syphilis is a chronic, infectious, venereal disease which begins in
the mucous membranes and quickly enters the systems of the body, spreading to the
lymph nodes nearby and into the bloodstream. The disease is spread by a spiral-
shaped microorganism named Treponema pallidum, a microorganism which was
identified in 1905. The microorganism cannot survive for long outside the human body,
but is can be spread by sexual activity.
b. Classification. Syphilis can be either acquired or congenital. It is acquired
through sexual activity from an infected partner to an uninfected partner. Congenital
syphilis is given to an unborn baby through infecting organisms in the mother's
bloodstream when the organisms cross the placenta.
MD0580
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