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Article: Sexually Transmitted Diseases
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- Biology
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Sexually Transmitted Diseases
A sexually transmitted disease (STD) is any disease whose primary (though not necessarily only) mode of transmission is some form of sexual contact. STDs may be viral, bacterial, protistan (protozoan), or fungal. Certain
STDs, such as gonorrhea and syphilis, are classified as "reportable" because when diagnosed they must be reported to a proper health or government agency to prevent their spread.
Bacteria
Gonorrhea.
Gonorrhea, one of the most widespread of the STDs, is caused by the bacterium
Neisseria gonorrhoeae,
some strains of which are resistant to treatment by penicillin as well as the other drugs of choice. The organism itself is quite ...