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An STD That Rots the Flesh of Your Genitals Is Now a Thing, Because Everything Is Awful
11 October 2018
Think twice about hooking up: STD rates are at an all-time high. Worse, the latest STD making the rounds could literally make your genitals rot off. Donovanosis, also known as granuloma inguinale, is a sexually transmitted infection that turns a person’s genitals into flesh-eating ulcers. It can also infect the mouth, nose, and chest.
The disease has typically been reported in warm, humid regions including India, southern Africa, central Australia, and the Caribbean, but cases have also appeared in cooler climates. The CDC records about 100 cases in the U.S. each year. This summer, the U.K. saw a rash of cases as well.
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This is a very rare and nasty condition and it could be one of the first times it has been recorded in the U.K. Any delay [in treatment] could cause the flesh around the genitals to literally rot away,” </span><a href="https://torontosun.com/news/world/tropical-sexually-transmitted-disease-can-cause-genitals-to-rot-away"><span style="font-weight: 400;">said pharmacist Shamir Patel</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. “This bacteria is also a risk factor in the transmission of HIV.”</span></p><p><div data-conversation-spotlight=""></div></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The condition is transmitted during sexual contact with an infected person, but symptoms don’t appear until after a 17-day incubation period, which means an infected person could unknowingly spread the STD to other partners. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">It can take up to 12 weeks after contact with an infected person for the disease to reveal itself.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The first sign is typically a firm, bleeding sore. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Donovanosis may exist alongside other STD infections, including syphilis and HIV, and in some cases has been associated with cancer and complications in pregnancy. The good news: The bacterial infection is treatable with antibiotics </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">such as azithromycin, doxycycline, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole,</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> if caught early enough, and if the bacteria don’t develop antibiotics resistance, as has happened with </span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/std/gonorrhea/arg/default.htm"><span style="font-weight: 400;">gonorrhea</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. However, relapses can occur.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fun fact: </span><a href="https://www.news-medical.net/health/Clinical-Presentation-of-Granuloma-Inguinale-(Donovanosis).aspx"><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are actually four versions of the disease</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. The most common is the ulcerograulomatous type, which is characterized by single or multiple fleshy ulcers which may bleed upon touching. More unsightly is the verrucous (or hypertrophic) type, in which the ulcers feature raised, irregular edges, and a dry, walnut-like appearance. The sclerotic (or cicatricial) type results in the formation of fibrous and scar tissue. Most disturbing is the necrotic type, in which the ulcer is deep and foul-smelling and results in the destruction of flesh in the surrounding areas.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In women, donovanosis tends to affect the labia minora and vulva. In men, the usual sites of infection are prepuce, frenulum, coronal sulcus and glans penis. Uncircumcised men are at greater risk of acquiring this condition, and men are twice as likely to become infected. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It can present itself as one or more nodules under the skin that later break down to form ulcers, typically in the genital or groin regions. The ulcers enlarge, easily bleed, and have raised edges. For men it can be noted along the shaft, under the foreskin and around the anus. Women typically have lesions on the labia and occasionally on the cervix and vagina. If untreated, they can become quite extensive and can lead to scarring,” </span><a href="http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/all-woman/the-little-known-donovanosis_145280?profile=1253&template=AllWomenArticle"><span style="font-weight: 400;">said Dr. Michelle Bailey</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This flesh-eating STD is not to be confused with necrotizing fasciitis, the best-known flesh eating disease, which can be caused by bacteria like </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">group A </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Streptococcus</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">staphylococcus</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Vibrio vulnificus</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, or </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Clostridia</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Necrotizing faciitis can spread rapidly, leading to loss of body parts and even death. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">How can you avoid losing or damaging your genitals in a painful bout of rotting disease? Use a barrier protection method such as a condom. (</span><a href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/donovanosis.aspx"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In Australia</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, however, a few cases have been spread via non-sexual contact.)</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Donovanosis isn’t the only flesh-eating condition that affects the genitals. Another one, </span><a href="https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/what-is-fourniers-gangrene"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fournier’s gangrene</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, has a similar progression. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fournier’s gangrene is an infection in the scrotum, </span><a href="https://www.webmd.com/men/picture-of-the-penis"><span style="font-weight: 400;">penis</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, or perineum.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> It is a </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">rare but life-threatening bacterial infection of the tissue under the skin that surrounds muscles, nerves, fat, and blood vessels. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">It most often infects men between the ages of 50 and 60. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Men are 10 times more likely than women to have Fournier’s gangrene.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The bacteria usually get into the body through a cut or break in the skin, where they quickly spread and destroy the tissue they infect. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It can start with a nick to a hair follicle during shaving,” says Dr. </span><a href="http://www.jerseyurology.com/meet-our-physicians/brian-steixner-md/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Brian Steixner</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, M.D., Director of the Institute of Men’s Health at Jersey Urology Group in Atlantic City</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> “A very specific bacteria gets under the skin, and it travels fast. It basically starts to eat away at all the skin."</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">H</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">orrifyingly, people can contract Fornier’s through their diabetes medication. </span><a href="https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm617360.htm"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The FDA has released a warning</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> about </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, medication used treat type 2 diabetes. But it’s extremely rare.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Seven cases out of 7 million prescriptions,” </span><a href="https://www.healthline.com/health-news/diabetes-drug-linked-genital-infection-experts-downplay-danger#2"><span style="font-weight: 400;">said Gary Scheiner</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, MS, CDE, founder of </span><a href="http://integrateddiabetes.com/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Integrated Diabetes Services</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, author of “</span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Pancreas-Practical-Insulin-Completely/dp/0738215147"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Think Like a Pancreas</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">,” and a </span><a href="https://www.diabeteseducator.org/about-aade/past-award-winners"><span style="font-weight: 400;">2014 diabetes educator of the year.</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> “That makes it literally a one-in-a-million event.”</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Whew.</span></p>
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