2. Definition
• Bacterial infection usually spread by sexual
contact.
• The cause of syphilis is a bacterium called
Treponema pallidum.
• The disease starts as a painless sore —
typically on genitals, rectum or mouth.
• Syphilis spreads from person to person
via skin or mucous membrane contact
with these sores.
3. Definition
• After the initial infection, the syphilis bacteria
can lie dormant in body for decades before
becoming active again.
• Early syphilis can be cured, sometimes with a
single injection of penicillin.
• Without treatment, syphilis can severely
damage heart, brain or other organs, and can
be life-threatening.
4. • Syphilis rates in the United States have been
declining among women since 2010, but rising
among men, particularly men who have sex
with men.
• The genital sores associated with syphilis can
make it easier to become infected with HIV,
the virus that causes AIDS
5. Symptoms
• Syphilis develops in stages.
• Symptoms vary with each stage. But the
stages may overlap, and symptoms don't
always occur in the same order.
• You may be infected with syphilis and not
notice any symptoms for years.
6. 1:Primary syphilis
• The first sign of syphilis is a small sore, called a chancre
(SHANG-kur).
• The sore appears at the spot where the bacteria entered
body.
• Most people infected with syphilis develop only one
chancre, some people develop several of them.
• The chancre usually develops about three weeks after
exposure.
• Usually painless, and it may be hidden within the vagina or
rectum.
• The chancre will heal on its own within six weeks
7. 2-Secondary syphilis
• Within a few weeks of the original chancre healing,
• Rash that begins on trunk but eventually covers your
entire body — even the palms hands and the soles of
feet.
• This rash is usually not itchy and may be accompanied
by wart-like sores in the mouth or genital area.
• Muscle aches, fever, sore throat and swollen lymph
nodes.
• These signs and symptoms may disappear within a few
weeks or repeatedly come and go for as long as a year.
8. Latent syphilis
• If untreated syphilis, the disease moves from
the secondary to the latent (hidden) stage.
• No symptoms.
• The latent stage can last for years.
• Signs and symptoms may never return, or
• The disease may progress to the tertiary
(third) stage.
9. 3-Tertiary (late) syphilis
• About 15 to 30 percent of people infected.
• The disease may damage brain, nerves, eyes,
heart, blood vessels, liver, bones and joints.
• These problems may occur many years after
the original, untreated infection.
10. Congenital syphilis
• Infected through the placenta or during birth.
• Most newborns with congenital syphilis have
no symptoms, although some experience a
rash on the palms of their hands and the soles
of their feet.
• Later symptoms may include deafness, teeth
deformities and saddle nose — where the
bridge of the nose collapses.
11. Causes
• The cause of syphilis is a bacterium called
Treponema pallidum.
• The most common route of transmission is
through contact with an infected person's sore
during sexual activity.
• The bacteria enter body through minor cuts or
abrasions in skin or mucous membranes.
• Syphilis is contagious during its primary and
secondary stages, and sometimes in the early
latent period.
12. Causes
• Less commonly, syphilis may spread through direct
unprotected close contact with an active lesion (such as
during kissing) or through an infected mother to her baby
during pregnancy or childbirth (congenital syphilis).
• Syphilis can't be spread by using the same toilet, bathtub,
clothing or eating utensils, or from doorknobs, swimming
pools or hot tubs.
• Once cured, syphilis doesn't recur.
• However, you can become reinfected if you have contact with
someone's syphilis sore.
13. Risk factors
• Engage in unprotected sex.
• Sex with multiple partners.
• Homosexuality.
• HIV infection.
14. Complications
• Small bumps or tumors : as gummas.
• Neurological problems :as
Stroke,Meningitis,Deafness,Visual
problems,Dementia.
• Cardiovascular problems :
These may include bulging (aneurysm) and
inflammation of the aorta, Syphilis may also
damage heart valves.
• HIV infection
15. Diagnosis
Syphilis can be diagnosed by testing samples of:
• Blood. Blood tests can confirm the presence of antibodies.
• Fluid from sores..
Dark field examinations :
To detect T. pallidum directly from lesion exudate or tissue are
the definitive methods for diagnosing early syphilis.
This test can be done only during primary or secondary
syphilis, when sores are present. The scraping can reveal the
presence of bacteria that cause syphilis.
• Cerebral spinal fluid. If it's suspected that you have
nervous system complications of syphilis,
16. • A presumptive diagnosis of syphilis requires use
of two tests:
• 1-A nontreponemal test (i.e., Venereal Disease
Research Laboratory [VDRL] or Rapid Plasma
Reagin [RPR]) .
• 2- A treponemal test (i.e., fluorescent treponemal
antibody absorbed [FTA-ABS] tests, the T.
pallidum passive particle agglutination [TP-PA]
assay, various enzyme immunoassays [EIAs],
chemiluminescence immunoassays,
immunoblots, or rapid treponemal assays).
17. Treatments
• When diagnosed and treated in its early stages, syphilis is easy to
cure. The preferred treatment at all stages is penicillin. If allergic to
penicillin, another antibiotic.
• A single injection of penicillin can stop the disease from
progressing.
• Penicillin is the only recommended treatment for pregnant women
with syphilis.
• Women who are allergic to penicillin can undergo a desensitization
process that may allow them to take penicillin.
• Even if you're treated for syphilis during your pregnancy, your
newborn child should also receive antibiotic treatment.
• The first day you receive treatment you may experience what's
known as the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction. Signs and symptoms
include fever, chills, nausea, achy pain and headache. This reaction
usually doesn't last more than one day.
18. Treatment follow-up
After you're treated for syphilis, your doctor will ask
you to:
• Have periodic blood tests and exams to make
sure you're responding to the usual dosage of
penicillin
• Avoid sexual contact until the treatment is
completed and blood tests indicate the infection
has been cured
• Notify your sex partners so that they can be
tested and get treatment if necessary
• Be tested for HIV infection.
