This document provides guidance on managing common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) at the primary care level. It discusses the typical presentations, investigations, diagnoses, and treatments for various STIs including syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, genital warts, and vaginal infections. Primary care providers are advised to take thorough sexual histories, perform physical exams and relevant testing to identify the causative organisms, and provide appropriate antibiotic or antiviral treatments to cure infections and prevent further transmission. Counseling on safe sex practices and follow up testing is also recommended.
2. How do they
present?
• Genital ulceration
• Urethral discharge
• Vaginal discharge
Common presentation
• Genital growth
• Dysuria or urinary retention
• Testicular pain or swelling
• Rectal pain or discharge
• Abdominal pain
• ** Serology
Others
3. History
• Ensure privacy
• Least sensitive questions &
proceed to sexual
behaviours & substance
used
• Signs & symptoms & duration
• Direct questioning on
discharge, genital ulcer,
micturation, eye discharge, skin
rashes, joint pain, low
backache
4. History
Sexual history *
• Non-judgmental, friendly, comfortable
Assure confidentiality
• Practices
• (Heterosexual /homosexual, oral-genital or ano-
genital)
• Partners (Recent / previous 1-4 months, marital
status)
• Protection (Safe sex)
• Pregnancy prevention (Use of contraception)
• Past STDs
– 5 “P”
5. History
• Drug history
- Recent anti-microbial therapy
- Previous penicillin treatment
- Drug allergy
• Past medical history
- Pre-existing medical conditions
- Occupational & social history
• Female patients
- (Contraception, menstrual, obs
& gynae history)
6. Physical
examination
• Privacy for patients
• Good light source
Two essentials
• Eye, mouth, skin, joints, lymph nodes.
• Liver & spleen
General examination
Genitalia, perianal and inguinal
region exposed & examined
7. Investigation
s
• Urethral discharge (Male)
– Gram stain (glass slide)
– Chocolate agar plate for C&S
– Thayer Martin Media (TMM) for
gonorrhoea
– 2 glass urine test
• Anterior & posterior urethritis
8. Investigations
• Vaginal discharge
– Gram stain (glass slide)
– Chocolate agar plate for C&S
– Thayer Martin Media (TMM) for gonorrhoea
– Sabouraud’s medium for monilia
– Hanging drop of Trichomonas Vaginalis
9. Investigations
• Gram stain (glass slide)
• Chocolate agar plate for C&S
• Dark Ground examination
(DGE)
• Giemsa stain for
multinucleated giant cell or
• Donovon bodies
Genital ulcer (s)
11. Diagnosis
• All pts with STD should be
screened for other STDs
– Often polymicrobial in
etiology (6/10)
– Syphilis, HIV & Hepatitis B/C
12. Treatment
Appropriate anti-microbial
• Prevention of disease transmission
• Educated on the diagnosis, purpose &
method of treatment, necessity to
complete treatment regime & to
report any side effects if any
• Important of follow up for test of cure
• Important of sex avoidance until
cured
Assurance & counseling
13. Treatment
• Prevention of further infection
• Abstinence or avoidance
• Use of condoms or others
prophylactic barrier
• Seek medical attention if any
symptoms
• Should not self medicate or
seek treatment from
unqualified persons
• Notification
• (HIV/AIDS, Syphilis, Gonorrhea,
Chancroid)
• Ensure follow-up
25. Latent syphilis
• Stage in which there is a positive serological test for syphilis in the absence of
any clinical disease symptoms.
• Early latent
- First 2 yr. of infection (infectious )
• Late latent
- Infection is >2 yr. duration
- Non-infectious, but can be transmitted by a pregnant woman to her fetus
26. Tertiary or Late
Syphilis
• Non-contagious but highly destructive
phase of syphilis which may take
many years to develop
• Several forms
– Late benign or gummatous
syphilis
– Cardiovascular syphilis
– Neurosyphilis
27. Gummatous syphilis
• Gumma are nodular lesions characterized by a granulomatous
inflammation
• May be in any organ
• (hepatosplenomegaly, snooker ball testis, ulcers, perforation/collapse
of palate & nasal septum)
28. • Gummas are highly destructive
lesions, necrotizing granulomas
with numerous lymphocytes, giant
cells, and epithelioid cells, but few
treponemes.
29. Cardiovascular syphilis
• Aortitis manifested by
―Aortic regurgitation
―Aneurysm
―Obstruction of the coronary
ostia
• Linear calcification of aortic
arch
30. Neurosyphilis
• Stroke syndrome & cranial palsies
• Dementia, convulsion, bilateral UMN signs
rarely delusion of grandeur
• Tabes dorsalis
• Dorsal column leads to loss of
proprioception, ataxic gate
• Loss of deep pain & tendon reflexes
Presentation
32. Diagnosis of syphilis
1. Evaluation of presenting signs & symptoms as well
as contact history
2. Darkfield examination of exudative material in
syphilitic lesions
3. Serological testings
33. Diagnosis of syphilis
3. Serological approaches
Non-treponemal tests
• (Non-specific anti-lipoidal antibodies)
• Venereal Disease Research Laboratory, VDRL
• Rapid plasma reagin, RPR
Treponemal-specific tests
• (Detect antibodies to antigenic components of T. pallidum)
• T. Pallidum hemagglutination, TPHA
• Fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption,
• FTA-abs
• T. Pallidum particle agglutination, TPPA
34. Non-treponemal tests (VDRL, RPR)
• Biological false positive (BFP)
– In 3% to 40% in these conditions
• Pregnancy
• Acute febrile illness, acute malaria, leptospirosis, viral pneumonia,
infectious mononucleosis
• TB, leprosy
• Autoimmune disorders (RA, lupus)
• Narcotics addiction
– 1-2% of healthy individuals
35. Non-treponemal
tests (VDRL, RPR)
• Titers fall & eventually become
non-reactive
• Some persistent low-level
positive (serofast reaction)
• Four fold or greater rise in
titers is indicative of re-
infection (e.g, from 1:8 ---
1:32)
• Persistence in moderate or high
titer reflects continuing
infection (VDRL / RPR >= 1:16)
36. Treponemal-
specific tests
(TPHA)
• To confirm the diagnosis of
syphilis in patients with
reactive non-treponemal tests
• Have poor prognostic value
• Titers do not correlate with
disease activity & should not be
used to assess treatment
response
37. Management
• Benzathine penicillin G 2.4 mega units IM weekly x 1 week
• Procaine penicillin 600mg IM daily x 10 days
Primary, secondary & early latent syphilis
• Benzathine penicillin G 2.4 mega units IM weekly x 3 week
• Procaine penicillin 600 mg IM daily x 17 days
Late latent or Latent Syphilis of Unknown Duration
• As late latent
Tertiary Syphilis (gumma & cardiovascular syphilis but not
neurosyphilis)
38. Treatment failure
or reinfection
• Signs & symptoms persist or
recur
• 4 folds increase in non-
treponemal test titer
• Failure of 4 folds decrease after
one year of treatment
39. Genital Herpes
• Commonest cause of genital
ulcer
• Caused by HSV 2 (20% HSV 1)
• Only 20% have clinical
symptoms
• Latent infection with tendency
for recurrences
• Lifelong infection
40. Papules, vesicles on an
erythematous base, erosions.
Vesicles uniform in size, with central
umbilications. The lesions crust then
reepithelialize, heal without
scarring.
41.
42. Primary Herpes
genitalis
• Severe blistering & ulceration of
external genitalia (+- cervix &
rectum)
• Pain, dysuria, discharge
• Local LN enlargement
• Systemic symptoms
• Urinary retention
• Ulcerations peak in
10-12 days, heal 3-4
wks
44. Diagnosis
Tzanck smear : smear from base of erosion for giant cells
Viral culture : gold standard
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
Antigen detection : Immunofluorescence
Type specific serology
45. Management
• Supportive therapy: Saline /
KMNO4, topical antibiotics &
analgesics
• Antiviral therapy
- Acyclovir 200mg 5x/day for 5
days or 400mg tds for 1week
• Counselling :Natural history,
Sexual and neonatal
transmission, pregnancies,
48. Gonorrhoea
Incubation period: 2-5 (10) days
• Scant/mucoid to copious/ purulent
discharge +/- dysuria
Male
• Mucopurulent cervicitis & vaginal discharge
• 70% of cervical infection is asymptomatic
Female
49. Diagnosis
• Direct smear by gram stain
– Gram negative diplococci intracellular & extracellular
• Culture
– Specimen best inoculated immediately
– Medium used
• Thayer Martin Media OR
• New York Modified Media
• Chocolate Agar
52. Gonorrhoea – treatment
• Anogenital gonorrhoea
– Ceftriaxone 500mg IM stat
– Cefixime 400mg PO stat
– Cefotaxime 500mg IM stat
– Spectinomycin 2g IM stat
• Pt with B-lactam allergy
- Recommended regimen:
- Spectinomycin 2gm IM
53. • Disseminated Gonococcal Infection
- Ceftriaxone 1gm IM or IV every 24 hours or
- Cefotaxime 1gm IV every 8 hours or
- Spectinomycin 2gm IM every 12 hours
* Therapy should continue for at least 7 days
Gonorrhoea – treatment
55. Non-
gonococcal
urethritis
Diagnosis ( 2 out of 3 of
the following)
• Symptoms
•Dysuria, urethral discharge
• Threads in 1st voided urine
sample
• >/= 5 pus cells per hpf on
Gram stain
57. Non-specific vaginitis
(Bacterial / anaerobic vaginosis)
• Cause: Haemophilus, Gardnerella vaginalis, d/t
alteration in vagina flora
• Asymptomatic /foul-smelling vaginal discharge
• Diagnosis (3 out of 4)
– Thin, homogenous vaginal d/c
– Positive amine (fish-like) odour in KOH tests (“sniff test)
– Vaginal pH > 4.5
– Presence of clue cells on microscopy
* Menses, semen, douching may effect pH
* Exclude trichomoniasis
58. Non-specific vaginitis
(Bacterial/anaerobic vaginosis
•Treatment
• Metronidazole 400mg PO bd x 7 day OR
(Treat symptomatic cases only)
• Ampicillin 500 mg qid PO x 7 days OR
• Amoxycillin 500 mg tds PO x 7 days OR
• Clindamycin 300 mg bd PO x 7 days
* Metronidazole contraindicated first trimester of pregnancy
59. Genital warts
• Condyloma Accuminata
• Human papilloma viruses (HPV) - DNA papovirus
• > 30 types of HPV
• – Condyloma acuminatum:1-5, 6, 11, 10, 16, 18, 30,
• 31, 33, 35, 39-45, 51-59, 70, and 83.
• Spread of HPV infection is usually through skin-associated
virus and not from blood- borne infection
60.
61. Genital warts
• Diagnosis usually made on clinical grounds
• Serological test available but not offer in our hospital
• Virus isolation is difficult
• If needed diagnosed by biopsy 🡪HPE.
63. Gardasil 9 Vaccine
• Protects against 9 types of HPV (6,11,16,18,31,33,45,52 and
58)
•HPV 6 &11 🡪cause 90% of genital warts
•HPV 16 & 18 🡪 cause 70% of cervical cancers.
• Recommended at ages 11-12 y.o, can be given starting at the
age of 9 y.o
• 2 doses of HPV vaccine 6-12 months apart.