Std and sti transfers

[FIREWOLF]

I read your articles about the std's and I still don't understand. If a male and female who have not had any genital contact EVER, or even so much as kissed someone, and got tested and results came back negative for all std's and sti's, can they still contract an std or sti when having sex of any kind? You cant make an sti out of nothing can you?

[Mo]

It's true that an STI can't appear out of nowhere! However, just because we call this group of infections "sexually transmitted," some of them can also be transmitted by nonsexual means. Herpes, for example, is sometimes transmitted through nonsexual kissing, so conceivably in this situation one person could get a platonic kiss from a relative who had an active cold sore, and then transmit that to their partner. Your chances of an STI entering the relationship are low if both people are monogamous, but we can't say they're at zero.

[Heather]

(And to be sure it's clear, sex never "makes"
STIs, anyway. Viruses and parasites exist on their own, sexual activity is just one primary way some of them move from person to person.)