Posted on 01/08/2006 12:28:15 PM PST by Dr. Scarpetta
New research suggests that the gonorrhea-like condition known as urethritis, perhaps the most common sexually transmitted disease, can spread to men when they're on the receiving end of fellatio.
"This one really nails it down," said Dr. Hunter Handsfield, a professor of medicine at the University of Washington who wrote a commentary about the findings.
Urethritis, a condition related to a number of health problems, such as urinary tract infections and some sexually transmitted diseases, causes inflammation of the urethra.
It can lead to genital discharge, burning during urination and redness and swelling at the tip of the penis, said Dr. Jeffrey D. Klausner, director of STD Prevention and Control Services with the San Francisco Department of Public Health. The symptoms "usually signify an infection due to a germ, like a bacteria or virus," he said.
Urethritis usually goes away on its own or is easily treated with antibiotics, Klausner said. But in some cases, it can result in serious complications, including permanent damage to the urethra in both men and women, especially if it's not treated.
According to Handsfield, urethritis brings more men to sexually transmitted disease clinics in the United States than any other condition or disease, and it may be the most common STD among both men and women.
In the new study, Australian researchers recruited 329 men with urethritis symptoms that weren't related to gonorrhea and 307 healthy men. The researchers tested the men and asked them about their sexual habits.
About five percent of the cases were directly related to germs from the mouth, including adenoviruses and a form of herpes. The researchers also found that urethritis without an apparent cause was more common in men who were on the receiving end of oral sex from their female or male partners.
The study findings appear in the Dec. 28 online edition of the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
The research points to the potential influence of normally innocuous germs in the mouth, Handsfield said. "It suggests that some of these cases might be due to bacteria that are entirely normal when they're in the mouth but cause inflammation in the urethra."
This also suggests that men shouldn't assume that getting a case of urethritis from a partner is a sign that she or he has been unfaithful, Handsfield said. The urethritis may have simply come from normal mouth germs.
By contrast, there's no evidence that urethritis is easily passed to women during cunnilingus, Handsfield said. In fact, he said, cunnilingus seems to be safer when it comes to STD transmission than fellatio.
What does the urethritis finding mean for sexually active men? "Men who receive oral sex need to be concerned about STDs and talk to their doctor about what screening tests might be appropriate or how to reduce their risk for getting infections," Klausner said.
A little of both.
It was a most unfortunate tune to get in my head while reading the article.
A guy walks into a bar with an alligator
He says he a trick to show everyone
He has the alligator open its mouth, then he unzips, pulls out his Johnson and puts it in the alligatot's open mouth.
Then he grabs a newspaper, rolls it up and smacks the gator on the head.
He then gestures with the paper and says, "anyone else want to try?"
An old lady in the back answers, "do you have to hit me on the head with the paper?"
badabing!
Those old ladies keep getting freakier and freakier. Side consequence of high divorce rates, I suppose.
LOL!
Much as I disliked HER, she was ON TO something!
That may be fine for the women, but....
I noticed that too!
I wonder how long this thread will get befofe it sputters to an ending?
Seems that this study proves it.
I think it'll break 100, but not much longer than that.
Seems that this study proves it.
And just what are you trying to say here?
I think it's limp already.
Congressman Billybob
Latest column on Newsbusters.org: "AP Poll Biased: Anti-Bush, Anti-Republican"
I'm impressed, so far only 1 comment removed! lol
"Suicide by this method doesn't sound so bad."
"Post that when you're pissing thumbtacks."
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As I posted elsewhere:
There was a young man from Nantucket
who kept all his brains in a bucket.
And to me he said
As he emptied his head
"I regret the tsunami in Phuket"
Cheers!
You KNOW a woman came up with this research idea.
Stick with women for this particular job.
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