Syphilis

Background During first half of the century syphilis was major cause of blindness, mental illness, and contributed to heart disease and stroke During WWII, 5% of military recruits had syphilis By 1950’s it was eradicated! But…we have seen a resurgence –1996 reported 70,000 cases to CDC –2004 reported 7,235 cases to CDC

Treponema pallidum Causative agent of syphilis Motile spirochete which is about 20um in length Cannot be grown in vitro, must be grown in tissue culture

Symptoms There are three clinical stages of syphilis –Primary: occurs 3 weeks after infection with a painless red ulcer, called a chancre –Secondary: occurs 2-10 weeks later runny nose, watery eyes, aches, sore throat, rash on the hands and feet, whitish patches on the mucous membranes –Tertiary: occurs up to ten years later..mental illness, blindness, stroke, and nervous system disorders

Primary Syphilis Less than 100 organisms necessary for infectious dose This lesion is teeming with organisms

Secondary syphilis Characteristic rash Syphilis can be transmitted by kissing at this stage, due to infections in the skin and mucous membranes

Tertiary Syphilis Gummas can form in any part of the body

Congenital Syphilis T. pallidum crosses the placenta and infects the fetus