Preface

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are commonly caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites transmitted in different ways such as vaginal, anal, and oral sexual contact. They can also be transmitted from pregnant persons to their fetuses during pregnancy or during birth. STIs are some of the most serious infections, as asymptomatic and untreated STIs lead to long-term health problems such as infertility. Despite worldwide efforts and precautions, STIs remain a serious public health problem.

Many STIs are caused by bacterial infectious agents. These infections are considered treatable, but, if they are not diagnosed or are diagnosed too late, they can seriously affect the health of those infected.

*Bacterial Sexually Transmitted Infections - New Findings, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention* provides current information on some aspects of these infections in different regions of the world. The chapters are authored by known experts in the field who collaborated to provide valuable information on bacterial STIs from their own experience as well as from the specialized literature.

The book discusses various aspects of bacterial STIs, such as incidence in certain regions, impact on vulnerable categories, detection methods, and problems encountered during diagnosis and treatment. It begins with a chapter that introduces the specifics of the book, addressing the latest trends regarding the approach to bacterial STIs. The next two chapters present the most common bacterial STIs, highlighting their clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, and their impact on the general population as well as children. After that there is a chapter on the diagnosis of syphilis and the problems that may appear in the case of false-positive reactions, with examples from the author's own experience. The final two chapters examine the treatment of bacterial STIs, one showing the difficulties encountered in resource-limited settings, and the other presenting a new therapeutic target as an alternative for the treatment of gonorrhea, which is a widespread STI.

I would like to thank all the authors for their contributions and the time spent preparing this valuable collection. I would also like to extend my thanks to the staff at IntechOpen, particularly Ms. Marica Novaković for her great help during the editing of this book.

> **Mihaela Laura Vică, MSc, Ph.D.** Cell and Molecular Biology Department, "Iuliu Haţieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
