What to Know About Donovanosis, the 'Flesh-Eating' STI That's Getting Global Attention

Prevention featured Thomas Russo, chief of the division of infectious disease at the Jacobs School, in a story about a flesh-eating sexually transmitted infection (STI) that is gaining attention. Donavanosis is a disease caused by the bacterium that causes ulcers around a person’s genitals. Even though donovanosis has been described as a flesh-eating STI, it’s not quite as gruesome as it sounds, explained Russo. “There is a great fear factor surrounding this but, at the end of the day, it’s an ulcerative sexually transmitted disease,” he says. “There are others like this as well, such as syphilis. This isn’t going to be like the zombie apocalypse where parts suddenly start falling off.” The article also appeared on Yahoo! News, International Business Times and other news websites.