STI Testing

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Self-directed testing for Sexually TransmittedInfections (STIs)

Students are invited to come to Student Health for STI testing without an appointment for routine screening, anytime we're open until 3:30pm. Just come into our lobby and pick up the order forms and background information from the turnstile at the end of the pharmacy counter. The results will be sent to you through our confidential & secure web site and email system.

Testing can be done without an examination with just urine samples, and a blood test for HIV if needed. If you have any symptoms, suspicions, or particular concerns and questions, please make an individual appointment. STIs can be contracted through oral and anal as well as genital contact. In such instances, signs and symptoms may present differently and specimens from these sites may be needed.

Information About Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)

If you have any symptoms, suspicions, or particular concerns and questions, please make an individual appointment. STIs can be contracted through oral and anal as well as genital contact. In such instances, signs and symptoms may present differently and specimens from these sites may be needed.

Laboratory Assesment

There is no one test for all STIs. Each disease requires a different test and there are some STIs for which no practical screening test exists. No lab test is perfect, although each test has a low risk of false negativity (the test result being negative despite the actual presence of infection). In some instances, false positives may also occur (the test results indicating infection where there is, in fact, none).

Infections identified by urine or other swab tests:

Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted disease caused by the organism Chlamydia Trachomatis. An infection with this organism may or may not cause symptoms. Symptomatic Chlamydia presents in women as abnormal vaginal discharge, abdominal pain, abnormal bleeding and/or urinary symptoms; in men as burning on urination and a discharge of pus and/or mucus, swollen or painful testicles, urethral itching or tingling.

Gonnorhea is less common, caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhea. In many respects, it is similar to Chlamydia inasmuch as a person may or may not have symptoms with the infection, and symptoms are similar to those described for Chlamydia. It can also cause fever, joint aches and rash.

Testing for both can be done with urine, most reliable when collected one or more hours after the last urination, or through direct swab samples. Both infections can effectively be treated with antibiotics. Partners should be treated at the same time.

Infections identified by blood tests:

Syphilis: Although still common worldwide, this infection is rare in our community. It is caused by a spirochete, Treponema pallidum. The primary symptom is a painless genital sore that may disappear on its own, but can be followed by a phase where the illness progresses without apparent symptoms. Significant harm to your health may result. It can be treated and cured with antibiotics. Partners must be treated.

HIV: Infection with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) may lead to the eventual development of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). The virus attacks and debilitates the immune system. Infectious illnesses develop which a healthy immune system would repel or eliminate. The immune damage may take years to become manifest. Transmission can occur through sexual intercourse and contaminated blood exposure such as that associated with used hypodermic needles. After an exposure, six to twelve weeks or more may pass before the blood test is positive. The treatment of this infection is evolving rapidly, and life expectancy is improving, but there is, as yet, no cure.

Hepatitis B is a viral infection that causes inflammation of the liver. Fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, and jaundice are among the more typical symptoms. After the acute illness resolves, the virus may be completely cleared from the body by the immune system. Some persons, however, will go on to become asymptomatic carriers, or develop chronic hepatitis, liver failure, or liver cancer. Hepatitis B is spread in exactly the same manner as HIV, but is significantly more contagious.

*If you enrolled at UCSB anytime after 1999, proof of Hepatitis B immunization or immunity to Hepatitis B was required, so it is highly likely you have immunity. A blood test can be performed to test for immunity or the virus if desired; please make an appointment to arrange the appropriate test.

Infections by visual exam:

HPV (Genital Warts, Condyloma) is the most common STI on our campus. The multiple strains of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) cause warts all over the human body. Some of the strains have a particular affinity for the genitals and are spread during sexual activity. Some of those strains also have the potential to cause malignant or cancerous transformation, particularly of the female cervix.

The diagnosis is made by observing the growth of warts on the infected skin surfaces. The presence of warts confirms HPV infection. The absence of warts, however, does not exclude infection. HPV can be detected on the PAP smear in women, so it is important to have yearly Pap smears. There is no lab test for HPV in men.

Treatment of HPV consists of destruction of the warts by freezing, electrocautery, laser cautery or the application of topical medicines or chemical agents. Recurrence of warts may occur for the first one or two years after infection but may resolve completely after that. Your partner should be informed.

Molluscum Contagiosum is caused by a poxvirus and is contracted through direct skin to skin contact or environmental sources. Molluscum are round, skin colored or pearly white, raised, waxy appearing bumps that are non-painful and usually do not itch. Treatment is by destruction of the lesion usually by freezing with liquid nitrogen or by popping out the core of the lesion with a sterile needle. It may take a few weeks or months of persistent treatment to eradicate this infection. It can be self-limiting even without treatment.

Herpes (HSV I, HSV II) is a viral infection that causes itchy and/or painful blisters and ulcers on the infected surface (usually genitals or mouth). The lesions go away in five to fourteen days, but may recur. It is one of the more common STIs in our community. Herpes lesions on the mouth may be transmitted to a partners genitals (or vice versa) during oral sex.

Herpes can be diagnosed clinically when lesions are present and can be confirmed by culturing the live virus from active lesions. Herpes culture results can take up to ten days. Blood tests for antibodies to Herpes exist, but do not tell you if you have an active STI or are contagious, nor does it tell you if a specific lesion is or is not Herpes. Herpes can be treated with medications that suppress the virus. There is no cure, but the severity, frequency and duration of recurrences can be reduced.

Vaginal infections in women identified by pelvic examination:

Yeast: a common vaginal fungal infection, rarely sexually transmitted, that can cause increased vaginal discharge, external itching, painful intercourse, redness or swelling. Treatment can be with an antifungal medication in either oral or vaginal form. Routine treatment of partners is not recommended.

Bacterial Vaginosis: an infection rarely sexually transmitted that results when there is disturbance in bacterial balance in the vagina. The symptoms are often intermittent and consist of excessive discharge that can be associated with an unpleasant odor described as fishy. Itching can also occur with some redness and swelling. Occasionally this infection presents with symptoms that mimic a urinary tract infection. This can be treated with an antibiotic either in oral or vaginal form. Asymptomatic carriers do not necessarily need to be treated. Routine treatment of partners is not recommended.

Trichomonas: a sexually transmitted infection caused by a protozoan, Trichomonas vaginalis. Symptoms may be mild to extreme and consist of irritation, increased discharge, itching, redness and swelling. Treatment is with an oral antibiotic, often in a single dose regimen. Partners must be treated.

Condom use can minimize your chances of contracting all of the above infections
We are required by law to report the diagnoses of Syphilis, Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and HIV to the Communicable Disease Office of County Public Health Department.

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