Neue und wiederkehrende sexuell übertragbare Erreger: Nachwuchs- und Überlebenskünstler

About 50 years ago, only venereal diseases were known to be exclusively transmitted by sexual contact, such as gonorrhea, syphilis, chancroid, and lymphogranuloma venereum. The number of infections decreased during the end of the twentieth century due to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which was associated with a very high risk of death after becoming infected by HIV-positive sexual contact. However, with the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), the number of infections rapidly increased. Classical venereal infections continue to represent a global health threat. Because of the diagnostic improvement by the introduction of molecularbiological methods and epidemiological studies, it is known that the number of sexually transmitted infections has increased. Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium, and viral infections such as herpes simplex, hepatitis B and human papilloma viruses are listed as “sexually transmitted infections” (STI). For some microbes, such as Zika virus, Ebola virus, bacteria of the gastrointestinal area and meningococcal infections, sexual contact is only one possible transmission route of the infection to the partner. They are summarized as “sexually transmissible infections”. The knowledge of infections transmitted to the partner, including contact tracing and diagnostic management plays an important role for the prophylaxis in order to avoid the transmission to the sexual partner.