Syphilis

Syphilis This is a dangerous and highly contagious bacterial infection that can lead to serious health complications if left untreated.

What is syphilis?

Syphilis is a bacterial sexually transmitted infection. It is very contagious and can lead to serious health complications if it is not treated. Syphilis is caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum which is transmitted from an infected person to a partner through unprotected sexual activity, including oral, anal and vaginal sex. It can also be passed from an infected pregnant mother to the foetus.

Syphilis used to be a very prevalent disease, but the discovery of penicillin has dramatically decreased the number of cases. Though it is a rare STI, with only around 3,000 cases being reported in the UK each year, it is a very serious infection which requires treatment. Syphilis can be easily cured with a course of antibiotics.

What are the symptoms?

The syphilis infection occurs in three stages, and the symptoms differ across each of these. The first stage is called primary syphilis. In this stage, a sore will appear on the genitals or even on the mouth, depending on where the infection was contracted. The sore is highly infectious but is not painful. This sore will last anywhere between two and six weeks, at which point it will disappear. This does not mean the infection has cleared.

The secondary stage includes a rash which can appear on any part of the body, particularly the palms of the hands or soles of the feet. This stage usually develops up to two months after the first sore appears during the primary stage. You may also notice flu-like symptoms, such as a fever and muscle aches. Your lymph nodes may become enlarged and you may experience a loss of weight and appetite. Though this stage of syphilis will fade eventually, it can affect the kidneys, liver and eyes and could potentially cause meningitis.

If the infection is still not treated, it will enter the third phase. Tertiary syphilis can occur many years after the primary and secondary stages. Latent stages of syphilis are extremely serious as they can cause life-threatening problems in the brain, eyes, heart and internal organs, to the point where death occurs. Symptoms of tertiary syphilis are impotence, memory loss and problems with balance, bladder control, mental function and vision.

What are the risks?

Syphilis is a very dangerous infection, especially if it is left untreated for so long that it enters the latent stage. At this point, the infection will have spread through the body to the internal organs, risking serious complications to the heart and blood vessels and the brain. It can also cause serious damage to the bones and the skin. Untreated syphilis can also cause neurosyphilis, a life-threatening infection of the brain or spinal cord.

Can you cure syphilis?

Syphilis is easily treatable. The infection is usually cleared by a dose of penicillin if it is administered during the primary or secondary stages, or early in the latent stage. If the infected individual has an allergy to penicillin and is not pregnant, they are usually given antibiotics such as doxycycline, tetracycline or erythromycin for a course of two week treatment.

People who are infected with syphilis should not have any sexual contact with a new partner until the syphilis infection - and the sores it produces - has healed completely. It is very important also to inform any sexual partners if syphilis has been diagnosed, so they can also get tested.

Getting tested for syphilis

If you would like to get tested for syphilis, you can order the Symptomatic Lesion Swab test from us. If you order this test online, you will receive it in the post in one to three days. When you receive the test, you will need to take a swab of the lesion using the rayon-tipped swab that is included in the test pack. You will then post the swab to our laboratory using the prepaid envelope that will be provided with the test. You are not required to provide a blood or urine sample with the Symptomatic Lesion Swab test.