The Difference Between Bacterial and Viral STDs

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are diseases that are transmitted through sexual contact. They fall under two categories – viral and bacterial. While viral STDs are caused by viruses, the latter is caused by bacteria[1].

Let’s discover more about the difference between viral STDs and bacterial STDs and find out how you can test for an STI from home.

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• What’s the difference between viral STDs and bacterial STDs?
• How do you test for an STD?

While viral STDs are caused by viruses, bacterial STDs are caused by bacteria – but, what’s the difference?

What are viruses?

Viral STDs are sexually transmitted diseases which are caused by a virus. A virus is a small infectious organism that can infect all types of life forms – once they successfully find a living host, they stay alive through replicating and copying its DNA within the cell [2].

The most common viral STDs include:

• HIV
• Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV)
• Hepatitis
• Human Papillomavirus (HPV)

What are bacteria?

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Bacterial STDs are sexually transmitted diseases caused by bacteria. Bacteria are microorganisms that live in the air, soil, water, plants, on animals and on humans – in fact, there are 10 times as many bacteria in the human body than there are human cells [4].

The majority of bacteria are harmless, and in most cases, bacterial infections can be cured quite simply with antibiotics.

The most common bacterial STDs include:

• Chlamydia
• Syphilis
• Gonorrhea
• Mycoplasma
• Gardnerella
• Trichomoniasis

What is the main difference between viral STDs and bacterial STDs?

Other than their underlying cause, viral STDs and bacterial STDs are different in one other important way – with early detection, viral STIs can only be controlled whereas bacterial STIs can be cured [5].

The best way to know for sure if you have an STD is to take a test – this can be done with your local doctor or from the comfort of your own home with LetsGetChecked’s at home STI test. That said, it’s important to mention that if you have noticed symptoms, you should make an appointment with your doctor for a check up.

You should consider getting tested if:

• You’ve become sexually active
• You’ve had unprotected sex
• You’re experiencing symptoms of a sexually transmitted infection
• You’re entering into a new sexual relationship
• You’ve received a notification from a previous partner that they are infected (STDs can remain dormant for years and/ or take up to three weeks to become detectable.)

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References

1. World Health Organization. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Online: Who.int, 2019

2. Microbiology Society. Are viruses alive? Online: Microbiologysociety.org, 2016

3. Mayo Clinic. Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Online: Mayoclinic.org, 2019

4. Microbiology Society. Bacteria. Online: Microbiologysociety.org

5. World Health Organization. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Online: Who.int, 2019

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