SYPHILIS

Syphilis

A look on the Most Persistent Disease

Among other Sexually Transmitted Diseases

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Syphilis is caused by the bacteria called Treponema Pallidum . It is usually transmitted through sexual contacts . Mothers , who were infected with syphilis , if not treated , can pass the disease to its unborn child There are four stages of syphilis : Primary syphilis , Secondary syphilis Latent syphilis and Tertiary syphilis . Different symptoms occurred in the

different stages . Different test were done to diagnose syphilis Serologic Test for Syphilis , VDRL , RPR , RPR , and Darkfield Examination Different complications aroused from syphilis . Syphilis was treated using penicillin . The dosage of penicillin given depended on the stage of the syphilis

I . Introduction

Syphilis (Lues Venerea , a disease having local and systematic manifestations , has been well known throughout history . Many famous figures from biblical and Roman times and the royal families of the Old World were thought or known to have had syphilis (as cited in Mc Cance and Huether , 1994 ,

. 804 ) It has long been considered the most serious of the sexually transmitted diseases because of its persistence in the human body when the infection is untreated and because of its destructive and incapacitating effects on the body 's tissues and organs (Shyrock , 1990 ,

. 639 ) The advent of penicillin have decreased the spread of syphilis but for some reason it still persisted up to now even with the advancement of medicine

II . Cause of Syphilis

Treponema Pallidum , the causative agent of syphilis , was first identified microscopically in exudates from a secondary lesion in 1905 (Lukehart , 1992 ,

. 141 ) Treponemata , individual organisms , look like corkscrews with regular , tight spirals and a rotary motion . T . Pallidum has never been cultured in vitro (Mc Cance , 1994 ,

. 804

Fig . 1 Treponema Pallidum (photo from HYPERLINK "http /www .techno-science .net www .techno-science .net

III . Transmission

The bacterium is present in exudates from the moist mucosal or cutaneous lesions of early syphilis and is transmitted through macroscopically invisible abrasions . Individuals are able to transmit the virus only during the first few years of infection (Mc Cance , 1994 br

. 804 ) The most common way to get syphilis is through sexual contact with an infected person . The bacteria can be passed from infected skin or mucous membranes (linings , usually the genital area , lips , mouth , or anus , to the mucous membranes or skin of the sexual partner . The bacteria are fragile . It can 't be passed through the use of eating utensils , using tubs , pools or toilets (National Institute of Allergy 2005

IV . Risk Factors

The germs of syphilis can enter the body either through some break in the skin or by passing directly through an intact moist membrane such as lines the vagina or mouth . The lesions of syphilis occur in either the skin or in a membrane , and these lesions teem with the germs . The disease is most frequently acquired by sexual intercourse with a person...