Sexually transmitted diseases

These are diseases that are transmitted from person to person through sexual contact. The international term (according to WHO) for this is "sexually transmitted diseases (STD)" or "sexually transmitted infections (STI)".
Another synonym is the term "venereal diseases" or “VD” (from the Latin "venereus", relating to sexual intercourse).
The various diseases can be caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi or protozoa (unicellular organisms).

On the following pages, we would like to give you an overview of the most common STDs that manifest themselves through problems in the urogenital tract. Diseases that are sexually transmitted but manifest themselves through other symptoms, such as HIV infections (AIDS), are not dealt with here. We would refer you instead to corresponding Internet sites, such as those of the Federal Centre for Health Education (www.bzga.de).