[Question #561] Condom broke - chlamydia and gonorrhea - tested 47 hours after exposure
103 months ago
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
103 months ago
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Welcome to our forum. I'll be pleased to answer your questions about this unfortunate event. FYI condoms do break about 1% of the time- when you combine this with the fact that most people, even most CSWs do not have STIs and the relative inefficiency of transmission of STIs following a single exposure, they remain far and away the best and most effective means of preventing STI acquisition.
In the instance you describe, you have done everything right. You ask your partner about her status and got tested. That your partner was a professional is also to your benefit as most professionals take appropriate and effective precautions to make sure they are not infected or, if they do become infected, to get treated in a timely fashion. If she were infected, estimates are that your risk for infection following a single exposure is about 1 in 5 - these estimates are based on studies performed years ago focused on gonorrhea but remain the best data there are; there are no similar data for chlamydia. Your question about how long it takes for a test to be positive is more difficult to answer and is likely to vary according to the organism you are considering. There are data that indicate that gonorrhea are typically detectable 36-48 hours following infection so I suspect that your gonorrhea test results are completely reliable. There are fewer data for chlamydia and chlamydia has a slower life cycle than gonorrhea so testing at 47 hours following exposure (and possible infection) may not be completely sensitive BUT, when considered in combination with all else I have mentioned above is further strong evidence that you were not infected. Personally, were I you, I would not worry further and would not seek further testing. However, if you want to be 100% sure that you were not infected, another test at this time would provide complete accuracy.
I hope this comment is helpful to you and will alleviate some of your concerns. Take care. EWH
103 months ago
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
103 months ago
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103 months ago
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
103 months ago
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As you know, we are limited by Forum Guidelines to three responses per question, thus this will need to be my last response. Should you have further questions, you will need to start a new question.
As I indicated before, this was a low risk event. The STIs which cause lesions are HPV, herpes and syphilis. This is too early to possibly be HPV (a genital wart) or syphilis. As for herpes, what you describe is not suggestive of HSV and this too is a little early for the appearance of a herpes lesion but within the realm of possibility as the appearance of HSV lesions as sometimes not "typical". The lesion of HSV would more typically be multiple and associated with local discomfort at the site. The lesions would be expected to evolve to form small vesicles ("water blisters"). My other suggestion is that this could be something that has been present and given your concerns over this exposure, is something that you are only now noticing. could that be a possibility? If you are really worried, the best thing you could do would be to have an experienced clinician take a look and make an assessment. If tested is needed (and testing can be performed on any lesion, not just blisters or open ulcers), the bet test for HSV is a PCR test. Blood tests for herpes have no role in the diagnosis of acute lesions such as this.
I hope this is helpful. EWH
103 months ago
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102 months ago
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
102 months ago
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I informed you the third response was the final one. I will briefly address this question but then will close the thread as it appears to be the best way to help you follow Forum guidelines.
The risk is so small that there is no reason to worry. EWH