According to the CDC there are around 200,000 reported cases of syphilis in the United States each year. Syphilis can be hard to detect since it often has the same symptoms as other diseases. In order to detect the disease, it is important to be informed about syphilis.
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted bacterial infection. The bacterial infection is caused by the bacterium treponema pallidum. Treponema pallidum belongs to the Spirochaetaceae family, and is a spirochete bacterium. The bacteria have the diameter of around 0.18 µm and length of 6-20 µm. There are three subspecies and all three of the subspecies are morphologically indistinguishable. Treponema pallidum does not have a capsule, but is an aerobic gram-negative bacterium, that must have a host to survive. Syphilis cannot survive outside of the human body and dies on surfaces immediately. …show more content…
During the first stage of syphilis, known as the primary stage, sores will begin to form. Even if the sores begin to heal, the infection will still be inside the body unless treatment was received. The second stage of syphilis is known as the secondary stage. During the secondary stage a rash will begin to form. The rash is usually red or brown and can feel rough. Other symptoms include headaches, weight loss, fatigue, fevers or swollen lymph nodes. If the infection is not treated within the first or second stage it will enter the latent stage. The latent stage begins when all of the sores or rashes go away and the infection is relatively unnoticed. Without treatment of syphilis during the latent stage the syphilis can enter the late stage, which can be very serious. During the late stage paralysis of the muscles can occur, or blindness, or dementia. The late stage of syphilis usually occurs ten to twenty years after the initial transmission and can result in death if not
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted bacterial infection. The bacterial infection is caused by the bacterium treponema pallidum. Treponema pallidum belongs to the Spirochaetaceae family, and is a spirochete bacterium. The bacteria have the diameter of around 0.18 µm and length of 6-20 µm. There are three subspecies and all three of the subspecies are morphologically indistinguishable. Treponema pallidum does not have a capsule, but is an aerobic gram-negative bacterium, that must have a host to survive. Syphilis cannot survive outside of the human body and dies on surfaces immediately. …show more content…
During the first stage of syphilis, known as the primary stage, sores will begin to form. Even if the sores begin to heal, the infection will still be inside the body unless treatment was received. The second stage of syphilis is known as the secondary stage. During the secondary stage a rash will begin to form. The rash is usually red or brown and can feel rough. Other symptoms include headaches, weight loss, fatigue, fevers or swollen lymph nodes. If the infection is not treated within the first or second stage it will enter the latent stage. The latent stage begins when all of the sores or rashes go away and the infection is relatively unnoticed. Without treatment of syphilis during the latent stage the syphilis can enter the late stage, which can be very serious. During the late stage paralysis of the muscles can occur, or blindness, or dementia. The late stage of syphilis usually occurs ten to twenty years after the initial transmission and can result in death if not