SYPHILIS

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SYPHILIS

• BACTERIAL

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What is it?

• Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD)
  caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum.

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How common is it?

• 36,000 in the U.S. (2006)
• Women 20 to 24
• Men 35 to 39
• 11.8 increase
• 64 were msm

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How Do You Get it?

• Direct contact with a syphilis sore.
• Sexual Contact
• Child Birth

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Primary Stage

• Marked by a single sore called a chancre.
• Exposure to symptoms ranges from 10 to 90 days
  (average 21 days).
• chancres lasts 3 to 6 weeks, and it heals without
  treatment.
• Untreated, the infection progresses to the
  secondary stage.

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Secondary Stage

• Skin rash and mucous membrane lesions
• Starts as a rash on one or more areas of the
  body. (does not itch)
• Rough, red, or reddish brown spots both on the
  palms of the hands and the bottoms of the feet.

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Signs and Symptoms

• headaches, weight loss,
• muscle aches fatigue.
• swollen lymph glands, patchy hair loss, fever,
  sore throat

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Treatment

• single intramuscular injection of penicillin, or
  other antibiotic, will cure a person who has had
  syphilis for less than a year.

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Late Stage

• Late stages of syphilis, may damage the internal
  organs, including
• the brain, liver, nerves, bones eyes, joints.
  heart, blood vessels
• .

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Signs and symptoms

• Difficulty coordinating muscle movements
• paralysis
• numbness
• gradual blindness
• dementia

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Diagnosis

• Can be diagnosed with a blood test
• A chancre can be examined under a microscope to
  determine if the bacteria is present. (cdc)