Doctors have found that it may be harder to get rid of a sexual disease than was ever previously thought. Recent findings from scientists represent a serious blow to the wellness and wellbeing of anyone who has previously suffered from a sexually transmitted disease.
The scientists behind this discovery have revealed that your own stomach could re-infect you with a sexually transmitted disease: tests revealed that chlamydia can linger on in the stomach even after a course of antibiotics.
Although antibiotics can often eliminate the disease chlamydia from the genital region, it struggles to remove it from the gut. The disease then lingers on in the gut, albeit benignly, and has the ability to re-infect the body at a later date.
Chlamydia is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases throughout the world, and becoming reinfected is surprisingly common.
This means that if you are diagnosed with an STD, having had one previously which ‘cleared up’ it is not a clear-cut case where you can point an accusing finger at your partner. This new research means that people should think twice before pointing the finger of blame, particularly if they have had chlamydia in the past.
Researchers from the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute found that this reservoir in the gut of benign chlamydia is the most common source of reinfections. This is a breakthrough in the world of sexual health treatment, as, although reinfections are common, the source has previously been unknown.
Another source of reinfection could be continued intercourse with a partner who is carrying an active infection. This often occurs because chlamydia in men usually doesn’t have any symptoms.
This new study was carried out on mice, where it was shown that even those who had eradicated chlamydia from their genitals still carried the disease in their gut.