Diagnostics
Early and rapid diagnosis of STIs increases the chance to limit effects of the disease. Left untreated, STIs such as gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, genital herpes and human papillomavirus can lead to devastating and sometimes long-term complications, ranging from blindness, bone deformities, brain damage, cancer, heart disease, infertility, birth defects, mental retardation and even death.
Health provides diagnose STIs through physical examination, blood test or swabbed cultures. Diagnosis of STIs by self-obtained vaginal swabs was the focus of a recent NIAID supported workshop. However, many people inflicted by an STI have little to no symptoms of the infection. NIAID scientists are conducting immunology studies to address why many STIs in people are asymptomatic. These studies may also uncover how infections mutation contributes to STI drug resistance and the processes associated with repeat infection and coinfection (e.g. syphilis and HIV/AIDS).