Can a couple contract an STD if they have only been with each other?

[hotVW]

we dont really know if this is even the right place to ask this, but we'll give it a shot.

can an std develop between a couple if the guy and girl have never had sexual contact with anyone else before? or, basically, they are clean?

[highlander]

One that I know of here is Herpes. Herpes can be passed from mother to child. I've heard legends of folks getting herpes from sharing towells. Hepatitis can be passed non-sexually(sharing toothbrush or needles or blood transfusion).

If you really want to be safe on STD's-get tested. only have sex with folks that have the same test results as you-and consider using condoms.

[Alura]

I guess anything is possible, HotVW, but if y'all have never had sex with anyone else, I doubt you're infected.

Mr. Alura

[intuition897]

Originally Posted by hotVW

we dont really know if this is even the right place to ask this, but we'll give it a shot.

can an std develop between a couple if the guy and girl have never had sexual contact with anyone else before? or, basically, they are clean?

**NOTE: The info I'm giving here is what I can remember from my infection control and blood pathogen units in dental assisting school, which was a few years ago, fleshed out a bit with some internet reading done about 2 years ago on STDs that swingers are potentially exposed to. So if anyone out there has more accurate information, or if I am gravely mistaken please do correct me!

I'm sure you can pick up some nasty stuff environmentally, like plantar's warts from the gym shower floor, or possibly using someone else's towel just after they have. Most people have the common sense to a) not towel off their syphilis-canchered body parts and immediately share their towel with b) someone who should know better than to re-use someone else's towel at the gym c) on a patch of broken skin. So it seems unlikely. And the thing of picking something up from a toilet seat... possible but again unlikely. AIDS/HIV is very difficult to acquire environmentally; I heard the virus can only live a minute or two outside of the body/blood. Warts are a fungus that love moist damp environments like the gym floor, so they can hang out longer there. Cold viruses can last something like 24 hours on a hard surface. Herpes virus is contagious when someone has an outbreak (obvious) or when the virus is 'shedding' (no symptoms), so it can be sneaky. Otherwise, the carrier has it for life, and it lies dormant between outbreaks in the nervous system near the outbreak location. Probably why 50% of the population has at least one type of HSV or another. Syphilis can only be contracted through sexual contact or contact with a cancher. And as far as I know gonhorrea (sp?) (aka, the clap) and other bacterial infections like trichomoniasis (trich), or chlamydia are only sexually transmitted. Hepatitis B and C (liver disease) are both blood-borne, and as such can be sexually transmitted. They're much more common than AIDS, and just as incurable. You can vaccinate against HepB, but not HepC. Other types of Hep, like HepA, are transmitted only through oral-fecal route of transmission, which is why they are a problem in underdevelopped countries with high populations and inadequate waste/sewage management.

The only infections I am aware of that can occur between two people only originate from their own bodies. Urinary tract/bladder infections that mimic chlamydia symptoms can be caused by E. Coli bacteria from the bowel (which is the reason for the wipe-front-to-back rule). Other than this, I think women can develop yeast infections when something messes up their normal vaginal pH, tipping the balance in favour of one variety of naturally-occurring bacteria over another.

That's all I can think of. As I said, my info is a little dated, so you might want to google it before you bet your life on it! Hope it helps some...