A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 25 percent of the country's teenage girls, or almost 1 of 4 young girls, may have sexually transmitted diseases.

Girls aged 14 to 19 who are sexually active may have human papillomavirus (HPV), which is the leading cause of cervical cancer among women later in their lives. Other diseases are Chlamydia, trichomoniasis, and herpes simplex virus

One in four American teenage girls has at least one common sexually transmitted disease (STD), the new study said Tuesday. It is the first study carried out by the U.S. Center's for Disease Control (CDC) that examines the combined national prevalence of common STDs among adolescent women in the United States.

CDC says that at least 3.2 million teens aged 14 to 19 are currently infected. This accounts for 26 percent of the total girls that have human papilloma virus, chlamydia, genital herpes or trichomoniasis

Scientists have finally decoded the genome of the parasite causing trichomoniasis, one of the world's most common, and least recognized sexually transmitted diseases (STD) that affects both women and men, although symptoms are more common in women.

Researchers hope the new research will throw light on the parasite estimated to infect 170 million people a year worldwide, including 8 million in North America. Trichomoniasis is the most common curable STD in young, sexually active women