Syphilis is an STD caused by the bacterium Treponemapallidium. There are two types of the infection, venereal syphilis and congenital syphilis. Venereal syphilis is passed on through sex, and congenital syphilis is passed on from mother to child.
Since the advent of penicillin, cases of syphilis have been declining. Despite that, data from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) shows an estimated 12 million new cases a year worldwide. In 2009 there were almost 45,000 new cases of this STD reported in the United States alone. That’s a decrease of 3.2 percent from the previous year.
Symptoms
Syphilis shares common traits with other STDs. Either no symptoms, or mild ones in most cases. If any symptoms do appear, it’s possible for them to take up to 3 months after the initial infection. Syphilis works in stages, and each stage displays different symptoms.
Primary stage syphilis may result in ulcers at the site of infection. This will be around three weeks to a month after contact with an infected person.
They include:
- Ulcers on the vulva or the cervix in women.
- Ulcers on the penis in men.
- Ulcers around the anus and mouth.
Secondary stage syphilis occurs only if the infection is not treated at the primary stage.
Symptoms include:
- A flu-like illness
- Lethargy
- Loss of appetite
- Swollen glands
- A non-itchy rash
- Flat, warty-looking growths on the vulva
- Flat, warty-looking growths around the anus
- White patches on the tongue or roof of mouth.
- Hair loss
If the infection is still not treated in secondary stages, it will progress to tertiary stage. This stage is harder to detect as symptoms often disappear. The infection can still be diagnosed with a blood test, and treated with drug therapy. Any damage done during tertiary stage is not curable.
Transmission and Treatment
Being an STD, syphilis is primarily transmitted during sex (venereal syphilis), or from mother to child (congenital syphilis). There needs to be direct contact with the syphilis sore to pass the infection on externally.
A series of tests will be necessary to correctly diagnose the STD. They will include:
- A blood sample to be sent to an STD laboratory.
- A specimen is taken from all sores
- The genital area is examined for primary signs of syphilis.
- Women are given an internal examination to check for sores.
- A sample of urine
The blood test primarily looks for antibodies, so it’s possible to test negative at first. If other symptoms are present, it’s likely that a sufferer will be asked to return after a few weeks to allow the immune system to produce them in numbers detectable in the test.
Treatments for syphilis are still based around penicillin. A popular course is a two week course of injections, but there are pills and capsule treatments too. As with any Sexually Transmitted Disease, contact with others should be minimized until the all-clear is given.
Once the course is complete, the patient may be asked to return periodically to have blood tests. This is to ensure the infection has been completely eradicated.
Complications
It is important to note that an individual that has contracted, and been treated for syphilis will test positive on any future tests. This is because antibodies will remain present in the body afterwards. Doctors can provide a certificate explaining that they have been treated and no longer have syphilis, if necessary.
If the infection reaches tertiary stage, it’s possible for it to cause heart and nerve damage.Any heart or nervous-system damage that occurred before the start of treatment may be irreversible.