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Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the Treponema Pallidum bacteria. Symptoms of syphilis present in the form of sores called ‘chancres’ around the mouth and genital areas. Syphilis is usually caused by direct contact with an infected person through unprotected sexual activity.
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Keyterms: Syphilis, Treponema Pallidum bacteria, Bacteria, Chancres, Sores, sexually transmitted infection, human body, tissues
Read More: An Overview and Types of Pathogens
What is Syphilis?
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An organism namely Treponema pallidum bacterium causes a sexually transmitted infection (STI) known as Syphilis. These organisms enter a human body through the tissues that line the vagina, rectum, or nose in the body. It has mainly four stages – Primary, Secondary, Latent and Tertiary.
This Infection should be treated on time; otherwise it would worsen the health of the infected person. It also causes other medical issues and can damage various other parts of the body. It can be infected to anybody without having any symptoms. This Infection can spread through direct contact with syphilitic chancres.
Causes of Syphilis
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Following are the causes of Syphilis:
- Person having HIV Disease.
- Person having unsafe or unprotected sexual activity or not using condoms.
- Person having sexual activity with many sex partners.
- Person having sexual activity with a partner infected by the syphilis bacteria.
- Bacteria causing Syphilis can enter the body through cuts on the skin or through the mucous films.
- It can spread by toilet seats, door handles, pools, hot tubs, bathtubs, shared attire, or eating utensils.
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Symptoms of Syphilis
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Symptoms are different in different genders. However, the symptoms of Syphilis are as follows:
- Fever is the major symptom.
- Infected Person can suffer pain during sexual activity.
- Infected Person can suffer pain in the lower abdomen.
- Infected Person can get rashes over the trunk, hands or feet.
- Infected Person can experience painful or burning urination.
- Infected Person can discharge from the penis.
- Infected Person can get unusual vaginal bleeding.
- Infected Person can get sores or bumps on the genitals or in the oral or rectal area.
- Infected Person can get white patches in the mouth.
- Infected persons can get insomnia, migraines, and joint agonies.
Stages of Syphilis
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There are 4 stages of Syphilis which are as follows:
Primary Syphilis
After getting infected with the disease, one of the first signs occurs in which an infected person will get painless open sores (called ‘chancre’) in the mouth, anus or the genitals. This is normally caused due to direct contact with the infected person during sexual activity.
Secondary Syphilis
This stage of syphilis causes sore throat, skin rashes on the palms or soles or any part of the body. There are various other symptoms at this stage which include headaches, swollen lymph glands, fatigue, fever, hair loss, and aching joints.
Latent Syphilis
In the second stage, rashes occur. In this stage, they would start disappearing and there would be no symptoms and this period is called ‘hidden stage’. Symptoms would go but the infection would start damaging the internal organs of the body and this may last up to 5 to 20 years.
Tertiary Syphilis
This stage would start after various years since the infection starts. This stage is life-threatening and it can cause various health problems such as Blindness, deafness, mental illness, memory loss, destruction of soft tissue, heart diseases, and many more.
Diagnosis of Syphilis
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Syphilis Infection can be diagnosed by various laboratory tests. These tests include the following:
- Blood tests: Blood Samples are used to confirm the diagnosis and presence of HIV. It can also tell the stage of syphilis.
- Urine samples: With a urine sample, various sexually transmitted diseases can be confirmed.
- Genital sores: To diagnose the types of sexually transmitted infections, testing fluid and samples from the sores can be done.
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Treatment of Syphilis
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It is easy to treat Syphilis. Treatment of Syphilis includes use of Antibiotics or Antiviral drugs. However, it is easier to treat the primary and secondary syphilis with a penicillin injection. Penicillin is the most used antibiotic which is very effective in treating this disease. It can be treated by a treatment in which a person would also get lifetime injury in the brain. If the infected person is sensitive to penicillin, he/she may get another anti-toxin which is similar to doxycycline.
Things to Remember
- Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the Treponema Pallidum bacterium.
- These organisms enter a human body through the tissues that line the vagina, rectum, or nose in the body.
- Syphilis presents itself in mainly four stages – Primary, Secondary, Latent and Tertiary.
- One of the first signs that occurs are painless open sores (called ‘chancre’) in the mouth, anus or the genitals.
- Syphilis can be diagnosed through blood tests, urine tests, and pathological samples from the open sores.
- Syphilis can be treated with antibiotics and antiviral drugs such as Penicillin.
Sample Questions
Ques: What does a positive syphilis test indicate? (2 marks)
Ans: A positive result of syphilis tells us about the presence of syphilis antibodies in the blood, but since treponemal antibodies remain positive even after an infection has been treated.
Ques: What is syphilis often called? (1 mark)
Ans: Syphilis is often called ‘the great imitator’ because it may also cause symptoms similar to many other diseases.
Ques: Which organism Causes Syphilis? (1 mark)
Ans: Infection of Syphilis is caused by the Treponema pallidum bacterium. However, the infection is divided into 4 stages. This organism can make the person infected with the first stage of Syphilis.
Ques: Can syphilis be infected from kissing? (1 mark)
Ans: Yes, Syphilis Infection can be infected from kissing, which may present as an oral chancres.
Ques: Is the Infection of Syphilis in Pregnancy Risky? (2 marks)
Ans: If a woman is pregnant and affected by penicillin, her primary care physician will most likely have her experience a procedure called desensitization, which will let her take the medication securely.
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