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Chances Of Getting STD By Using Common Bathroom?
Question: I turned on a sink faucet in a public bathroom about a minute after a woman used it. I then wet some kleenex around a finger (finger which touched the faucet handle) and wiped the inside of my left nostril up to the mucous membrane. In doing so my finger slightly came through the kleenex. Dr XXXXXXX Choudhary who answered on this forum indicated that I was in no danger of HIV BUT because syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia are bacterial pathogens, I might have been exposed to these STDS. I was of the opinion that because these particular STD bacteria are so fragile that under the conditions I described contamination would have been so remote for syphilis , gonorrhea and chlamydia as to be considered virtually no exposure at all or at the worst extremely rare.
FIRST: Would this be a correct assumption?
Second: If I waited for the "window" periods to pass for the STDS mentioned,(syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia) should a negative NAAT URINE specimen DNA/SDA amplified DNA test put my mind at rest for gonorrhea and chlamydia and a negative VDRL test for syphilis do the same. This obsessive thought is really wearing on me.
I in no way mean to critisize Dr. XXXXXXX I just would like to get a second opinion and a bit more detail
as to the scenario described above concerning syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamidia.
FIRST: Would this be a correct assumption?
Second: If I waited for the "window" periods to pass for the STDS mentioned,(syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia) should a negative NAAT URINE specimen DNA/SDA amplified DNA test put my mind at rest for gonorrhea and chlamydia and a negative VDRL test for syphilis do the same. This obsessive thought is really wearing on me.
I in no way mean to critisize Dr. XXXXXXX I just would like to get a second opinion and a bit more detail
as to the scenario described above concerning syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamidia.
Hi ,
Thanks for writing in.
I am a medical specialist with an additional degree in cardiology. I read your mail with diligence.
During my MBBS days (some 35 years ago) I have dealt with primary syphilis and during my MD days some 32 years ago I have treated Gonorrhea and during my cardiology training had done some experimental research on chalamydia. I feel that I can give answers to your questions.
Let us assume that woman had either of the three organisms and she was contagious. Taking syphilis first. Very rare to have primary syphilis in 2012 in New York or the US. Let us imagine rarest of rare situation you actually came in contact with the organism, prolonged contact was necessary. Otherwise argument of incubation does not hold good as it may be three months before primary lesion in the person who has come in contact with a person carrying the organism, the primary lesion develops. The test VDRL is often false positive you will have to undergo, treponemal pallidum particle agglutination (TPHA) or fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test (FTA-Abs). I would like to exclude syphilis because of lack of contact. As an abundant precaution you can keep a close eye on the finger for anything abnormal to develop.
Gonorrhea is contagious, and is found in the US. From the time someone is infected with the gonorrhea bacterium, that person can spread the disease until properly treated. The bacteria that cause gonorrhea are spread through body fluids,
People can infect themselves if they touch an affected area and then rub or scratch their eyes. Gonorrhea can also be spread through kissing if one partner has a cut on the lip, but this way of becoming infected is rare. Sharing towels and sitting on toilet seats that have come in contact with the bacteria do not spread the disease. That is absent so this point and the other point that incubation period is maximum 3 weeks. Lesions do develop. And tests are common with chlamydia, if the finger lesion develops (that would first of its kind) because the symptoms of gonorrhea are similar to those of chlamydial infection, doctors usually test a person experiencing symptoms for both of these STDs. A sample of fluid, discharge from the lesion can be tested for Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria by doing a culture. Results are usually known within 48 hours. Another test, polymerase (pah-LIM-er-ace) chain reaction (PCR), can be used to look for DNA from the bacteria in urine, fluid from swabs taken from the area give accurate results. Again, lack of intimate direct contact excludes this disease. I would agree with argument of fragile organism.
Unlike Gonorrhea and Syphilis one cant get chlamydia from kissing then how is chlamydia spread? It is more fragile
Chlamydia is spread from person-to-person during unprotected sex. It can be passed through vaginal, anal, and oral sex. It can also be passed to the eye by a hand or other body part moistened with infected secretions. Chlamydia can be passed from a woman infected with chlamydia to her fetus during birth. Chlamydia cannot be spread by kissing, toilet seats, bed linens, doorknobs, swimming pools, hot tubs, bathtubs, sharing clothes, or eating utensils.
Therefore, scientifically and logically, your chances of getting any of three infection is next to nil. Imagine in any developing country. The items like tissue paper are luxury in public conveniences. Who touches what is rarely established because of population density. Still, what I gather from colleagues who deal with these diseases, the prevalence, except in immuno-compromised persons (Diabetics, HIV+ population, those on prolonged corticosteroid therapy or chemotherapy) incidence is coming down.
If you have another followup query I will be happy to answer.
With Best Wishes.
Dr Anil Grover,
Cardiologist
M.B.;B.S, M.D. (Internal Medicine) D.M.(Cardiology)
http://www/ WWW.WWWW.WW
Thanks for writing in.
I am a medical specialist with an additional degree in cardiology. I read your mail with diligence.
During my MBBS days (some 35 years ago) I have dealt with primary syphilis and during my MD days some 32 years ago I have treated Gonorrhea and during my cardiology training had done some experimental research on chalamydia. I feel that I can give answers to your questions.
Let us assume that woman had either of the three organisms and she was contagious. Taking syphilis first. Very rare to have primary syphilis in 2012 in New York or the US. Let us imagine rarest of rare situation you actually came in contact with the organism, prolonged contact was necessary. Otherwise argument of incubation does not hold good as it may be three months before primary lesion in the person who has come in contact with a person carrying the organism, the primary lesion develops. The test VDRL is often false positive you will have to undergo, treponemal pallidum particle agglutination (TPHA) or fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test (FTA-Abs). I would like to exclude syphilis because of lack of contact. As an abundant precaution you can keep a close eye on the finger for anything abnormal to develop.
Gonorrhea is contagious, and is found in the US. From the time someone is infected with the gonorrhea bacterium, that person can spread the disease until properly treated. The bacteria that cause gonorrhea are spread through body fluids,
People can infect themselves if they touch an affected area and then rub or scratch their eyes. Gonorrhea can also be spread through kissing if one partner has a cut on the lip, but this way of becoming infected is rare. Sharing towels and sitting on toilet seats that have come in contact with the bacteria do not spread the disease. That is absent so this point and the other point that incubation period is maximum 3 weeks. Lesions do develop. And tests are common with chlamydia, if the finger lesion develops (that would first of its kind) because the symptoms of gonorrhea are similar to those of chlamydial infection, doctors usually test a person experiencing symptoms for both of these STDs. A sample of fluid, discharge from the lesion can be tested for Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria by doing a culture. Results are usually known within 48 hours. Another test, polymerase (pah-LIM-er-ace) chain reaction (PCR), can be used to look for DNA from the bacteria in urine, fluid from swabs taken from the area give accurate results. Again, lack of intimate direct contact excludes this disease. I would agree with argument of fragile organism.
Unlike Gonorrhea and Syphilis one cant get chlamydia from kissing then how is chlamydia spread? It is more fragile
Chlamydia is spread from person-to-person during unprotected sex. It can be passed through vaginal, anal, and oral sex. It can also be passed to the eye by a hand or other body part moistened with infected secretions. Chlamydia can be passed from a woman infected with chlamydia to her fetus during birth. Chlamydia cannot be spread by kissing, toilet seats, bed linens, doorknobs, swimming pools, hot tubs, bathtubs, sharing clothes, or eating utensils.
Therefore, scientifically and logically, your chances of getting any of three infection is next to nil. Imagine in any developing country. The items like tissue paper are luxury in public conveniences. Who touches what is rarely established because of population density. Still, what I gather from colleagues who deal with these diseases, the prevalence, except in immuno-compromised persons (Diabetics, HIV+ population, those on prolonged corticosteroid therapy or chemotherapy) incidence is coming down.
If you have another followup query I will be happy to answer.
With Best Wishes.
Dr Anil Grover,
Cardiologist
M.B.;B.S, M.D. (Internal Medicine) D.M.(Cardiology)
http://www/ WWW.WWWW.WW
Note: Consult a Sexual Diseases Specialist online for further follow up- Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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