This is why catching an STI could be good for you

CATCHING a sexually transmitted infection could have some surprising health benefits.

SEX SAVIOUR: Catching a STI might have some shocking health benefits

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) usually have a bad reputation, because of the nasty symptoms and health problems they cause.

But recent research has shown that they might not be that bad after all.

According to the World Health Organisation more than one million people catch a sexually transmitted disease every day.

But it turns out some microbes that are passed on during sex – such as bacteria and viruses – could actually be beneficial to our health.

The sexually transmitted microbes (STMs) within one particular STI may even have the potential to prevent illness.

The little known GB virus C (GBV-C), formerly known as hepatitis G virus (HGV), doesn’t cause any disease in humans but it seems to cut HIV death rates.

A review of six studies found that it can slash the mortality rate in HIV positive patients by 59%.

Researchers think that GBV-C reduces the ability of HIV to enter and replicate in white blood cells.

The STI also changes the body’s immune response and dampens inflammation, according to infectious diseases researcher Jack Stapleton.

He said: “If you are having enough sex to be exposed to HIV, it’s likely that you have also been exposed to GBV-C.”

Scientists have not yet used GBV-C as a treatment for HIV because of the ethical problem of deliberately infecting someone with a virus, but they think it could be used alongside HIV medication to help save lives.

Phad Smith, an evolutionary ecologist at The University of Texas, explained: “There is a common perception that STIs are harmful. People unconsciously think of their own experience.

"We don’t know if we have caught a beneficial STI but people notice if they catch syphilis.”