Response to STD Carrier
Peter, Im going to answer your question as briefly as possible,
but in medicine there are often many gray areas, and no two
people are alike. Its important to keep this in mind as
you read the following information. There are quite a few
STDs in which a person can remain asymptomatic (without
symptoms), but be carriers. Yes, they would test positive
if tested. The type of test varies with the symptoms the
person presents with.
There are also varying times as to incubation periods.
An incubation period is the time between exposure to the
infection and the appearance of the first symptom. Averages
are used to determine length of incubation periods. They
can vary with each individual. A person can spread STDs
before they ever know they are infected because of the incubation
periods.
Below is a list of BACTERIAL STDs and their incubation
periods. These are treated with antibiotics as the causative
organism responds to treatment.
GONORRHEA: Causative organism Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
Typical incubation period is 2-5 days for urethritis (this
is inflammation of the urethra, the is the canal for discharge
of urine, extends from the bladder to the outside); 5-10
days for cervical infection. 1-10% of men, and 20-40% of
women remain asymptomatic.
CHLAMYDIAL INFECTIONS: Causative organism Chlymydia
trachlomatis. Typical incubation period is 1-3 weeks,
many infections remain asymptomatic.
SYPHILLIS: Causative organism Treponema pallidum. Incubation
period is usually 2-6 weeks, occasionally up to 3 months.
CHANCROID: Causative organism haemophilus ducreyi.
This is a genital ulcer disease, and is one of the original
five classical STDs. Incubation period usually 2-10
days. Females are often asymptomatic.
DONOVANOSIS: Causative organism Calymmatobacterium
granulomatis. This one is rare in the U.S. with <50 cases
reported annually. Most cases believed to be imported
from other countries. Incubation period 2 weeks to 3 months.
PID, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease: This is an umbrella
term that describes infection of the pelvic organs. Women
only. Incubation period 1-2 days to several months. This
is the most common cause of infertility in women and one
of the most common serious complications of STDs. Usually
caused by more than one organism, such as gonorrhea, and
chlamydia. Rare in homosexual women. This one is also very
complicated to get into in this format due to its variances.
Below is a list of VIRAL STDs and their incubation periods.
GENITAL HERPES: This one is quite lengthy due to the variances
of this disease. There are four clinical classifications;
primary, first episode non-primary, recurrent, and asymptomatic
and subclincal. Again, much too lengthy to go into too much
detail here. Incubation period 2-10 days, occasionally
up to 3 weeks. Some patients have subtle, painless lesions.
A person can be asymptomatic but carry the virus.
GENITAL WARTS (HPV): Incubation period 1-3 months after
exposure. Not unusual for the disease to take longer to
manifest symptoms. Not unusual for the person to be asymptomatic.
MOLLUSCUM CONTAGIOSUM: May resemble warts. Incubation
period 1-2 months; often asymptomatic.
HIV: Seroconversion in 4-12 weeks after infection; can
take as long as 6 months or more. From initial infection
to AIDS; current statistics are 10-12 years. Often asymptomatic,
or with symptoms unassociated with this disease.
There are other STDs that I have not mentioned here, but
these are the most common.
I was going to add symptoms for these STDs but found that
it makes this article extremely long. If anyone is not aware
of what these symptoms are, post a request, and Ill post
them. There are primary symptoms which lead into complicated
secondary symptoms if left untreated. In the case of syphilis,
there are four stages in the progression, if untreated.
What I will NOT do is answer specific requests where someone
states they have symptoms and are asking if this could
be and STD. That would be highly irresponsible of me. I
am NOT a physician. I am in the medical field, it is my job
to educate and I am more than happy to do that, but even a physician
will not diagnose without seeing the patient.
I also dont want anyone to misunderstand why I respond
to certain postings. I understand that having a sex life
is vital to most people. If someone is curious about certain
aspects of STDs and I can provide information that is compiled
from my learning experiences, both in school and jobs I
have held, Im happy to do so. I cringe when I read about people
having unprotected sex, not on moral grounds, but rather,
because I know what they are placing themselves at risk
for. While no responsible person would ever claim that
using condoms will keep you 100% safe, (because there is
no such thing except for abstinence) they certainly lessen
your chances for contracting an STD. So, be safe, OK?
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