What is syphilis?
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) or sexually transmitted infection (STI) that, when left untreated, can progress to a late stage that causes serious health problems. The infection alternates with periods of being active and inactive (latent). When the infection is active, symptoms occur; however, when the infection is latent, no symptoms appear even though you still have syphilis.

Anyone who comes into close physical contact with a person who has syphilis can develop syphilis. You don't have to have sexual intercourse to get syphilis exposure can result from close contact with an infected person's genitals, mouth, or rectum.

What causes syphilis?
Syphilis is caused by a type of bacterium (Treponema pallidum) that usually enters the body through the mucous membranes. An infected person can pass the disease to others (is contagious) whenever a sore or a rash is present.

What are the symptoms of syphilis?
Symptoms of syphilis may be unnoticed or may mimic those of many other diseases. This may cause an infected person to delay seeking medical care and can make diagnosis difficult.

The four stages of syphilis have different symptoms.
Primary stage: During this stage of syphilis, a painless open sore called a chancre (pronounced shanker) develops. Because syphilis is usually passed from person to person through sexual activities, chancres are often found in the genital area, anus, or mouth, but they may also be found wherever the bacteria entered the body.

Secondary stage: A skin rash and other symptoms occur during the secondary stage, which begins 4 to 10 weeks after the initial infection. Secondary syphilis is highly contagious through direct contact with the mucous membranes or other surfaces affected by the skin rash.

Latent stage: This stage is often called the hidden stage of syphilis because usually no symptoms are present. The latent stage is defined as the year after a person becomes infected. A person in early latent stage may be contagious. Many times, latent-stage syphilis is detected in a mother only after she gives birth to a child infected with syphilis (congenital syphilis).

Late (tertiary) stage: If syphilis is not detected and treated in the early stages, problems can develop because of damage caused by having the syphilis bacteria in the body for so many years. These may include heart disorders, mental disorders, blindness, other problems associated with the nervous system, and even death.

How is syphilis diagnosed?
The first steps in diagnosing syphilis are discussing the history of your symptoms and sexual activities with a health professional and having a physical exam. The diagnosis of syphilis is usually confirmed with one of several blood tests.

How is syphilis treated?
If detected and treated, syphilis can be cured with antibiotics. If untreated, syphilis will linger and may progress to the late stage where more serious health problems, such as blindness, heart disorders, mental disorders, nervous system problems, and even death, can occur.

Treatment is needed to cure the infection, prevent complications, and prevent the spread of the infection to others. It is critical to treat a pregnant woman with syphilis; untreated, syphilis can causea miscarriage, stillbirth, or a baby to be born with the disease (congenital syphilis). Antibiotics effectively treat syphilis during any stage. Antibiotic treatment cannot reverse the damage caused by the complications of late-stage syphilis, but it can prevent further complications from developing.

How widespread is syphilis?
Since the development of antibiotics and the routine screening of pregnant women for the disease, the incidence of syphilis has dramatically decreased overall. However, in men who have sex with men, the incidence of syphilis has risen by 2.1% since 2000.

Despite the overall downward trend, syphilis remains one of the most common reportable infectious diseases in the United States. In 1999, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed a plan for eliminating syphilis from the U.S. The plan has three specific intervention strategies, including rapid outbreak response, expanded clinical and laboratory services, and enhanced health promotion. The national goal for syphilis elimination is 1,000 or fewer cases per year by 2005.