Syphilis 20455

INTRODUCTION • Syphilis is a human infectious disease caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. • Syphilis cannot be caught through casual , such as toilet seats or sharing cutlery. • Syphilis used to be relatively common in the UK until the end of the Second World War. Then the widespread availability of antibiotics meant that the condition became quite rare. • Syphilis is more common in men than women, and rates are highest among gay men. • Catching syphilis increases your chances of catching HIV. Also, HIV will alter the typical course of syphilis, increasing the chances of it progressing to tertiary syphilis.The condition can be particularly dangerous because it lies dormant for many years and can recur, causing serious damage to the: -heart,nervous system,eyes,brain, and,almost every other part of the body.

Diagnosis Syphilis can be easily diagnosed. The doctor will take a blood or urine sample to run tests, and they’ll also conduct a thorough physical examination. If a sore is present, the doctor will take a sample from the sore o determine if the syphilis bacteria are present. If the doctor suspects that you’re having nervous system problems because of tertiary syphilis, you may need a spinal tap, or lumbar puncture. During this procedure, your spinal fluid is collected so that your doctor can test for bacteria.

Stages • Early or Primary Stage People with primary syphilis will develop one or more sores. The sores are usually small, they occur on the genitals or in around the mouth somewhere between 10-90 days after exposure.

• Secondary Stage May last one to 3 months and begins within six weeks to six months after exposure. People with secondary syphilis experience a “rosy copper penny” rash typically on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. However, rashes with a different appearance may occur on other parts of the body. Other symptoms of secondary syphilis may include:

• • • • • • •

Headaches Swollen lymph glands Fatigue Fever Weight loss Hair loss Aching ts

• Latent and Late Stage This is where the infection lies dormant (inactive) without causing symptoms. Symptoms of the late stage of syphilis include difficulty coordinating your muscle movements, paralysis, numbness, blindness, and dementia (mental disorders). In the late stages of syphilis, the disease damages your internal organs and can result to death.

• Tertiary Stage of Syphilis If the infection isn’t treated, it may then progress to a stage characterized by severe problems with the heart, brain, and nerves that can result in paralysis, blindness, dementia, deafness, impotence, and even death if it’s not treated.

Treating and Curing Syphilis -The primary and secondary syphilis are easy to treat with penicillin injection. How to Prevent Syphilis -the best way to prevent syphilis is to practice safe sex. Using condoms during any type of sexual is a god idea. In addition, it may be helpful to: • avoid having sex with multiple partners • Use a dental dam or condoms during oral sex

MODE OF TRANSMISSION 1) direct sexual -About 95-98% of syphilis patients are infected in this way on - The study found that Treponema pallidum on human skin and mucous membranes have affinity can penetrate normal skin and mucous membranes. -  kissing near a lesion, as well as oral, vaginal, anal sex, homosexuality, oral-genital , hand-genital with a category of sexually transmitted syphilis can also damage (2) Indirect transmission: - Can come into with the patient used underwear, underwear, bedding, towels, razors, towels, bath tub, toilet, etc., as these appliances may be contaminated with the patient the damage at discharge Treponema pallidum, resulting in infection.

(3) Congenital Syphilis: -the women suffering from syphilis without treatment, pregnant mother's body T.pallidum into the fetal blood circulation through the body, so that the fetus infected with syphilis.  (4) blood-borne transmission: -If the blood donor in patients with latent syphilis, he (she) may be provided by the blood with T.pallidum. Once the input into the recipient's body can produce infection, so the patients do not produce a performance of syphilis, while the direct symptoms of syphilis occurs.

CHAIN OF INFECTION • PATHOGENESIS TREPONEMA POLIDUM -the organism responsible for syphilis, is a very small, spiral bacterium (spirochete) whose form and corkscrew rotation motility can be observed only by dark-field microscopy . -T. pallidum penetrates a broad variety of anatomical sites, including the central nervous system, eye, and placenta, tissues that may be “immune privileged” in that less surveillance by the innate immune system may occur in those sites

RESERVOIR -Humans are the only reservoir for T.pallidum or syphilis. -epidemiologically relevant mode of transmission is by direct with treponemarich, open lesions and contaminated secretions from a patient

• PORTAL OF EXIT -Syphilis portal of exit is via open areas caused by disease. These areas commonly appear on external genetals,in the vagina and in the rectum.

• MODE OF TRANSMISSION - Syphilis is a highly contagious disease spread primarily by sexual activity including oral and anal sex. - Occasionally the disease can be ed to another person through prolonged kissing or close bodily . although this disease is spread from sores ,the vast majority of those sores go unrecognized . -Blood transfusion ,accidental inoculation(e.g., needle stick injury) and solid organ transplantation have rarely been reported as routes of transmission.

• PORTAL OF ENTRY - The portal of entry must provide access to tissues in which the pathogen can multiply or a toxin can act. Often,infectious agents use the same portal to enter a new host that they use to exit the source host.

PREVENTION • Vaccine -As of 2010, there is no vaccine effective for prevention. [12] Several vaccines based on treponemal proteins reduce lesion development in an animal model, and research is ongoing • Sex -Condom use reduces the likelihood of transmission during sex, but does not completely eliminate the risk -Abstinence from intimate physical with an infected person is effective at reducing the transmission of syphilis.

• Congenital disease -Congenital syphilis in the newborn can be prevented by screening mothers during early pregnancy and treating those who are infected .  -Congenital syphilis is still common in the developing world, as many women do not receive antenatal care at all, and the antenatal care others receive does not include screening, and it still occasionally occurs in the developed world, as those most likely to acquire syphilis (through drug use, etc.) are least likely to receive care during pregnancy.  -Point-of-care testing to detect syphilis appeared to be good although more research is needed to assess its effectiveness and into improving outcomes in mothers and babies

• Screening - The CDC recommends that sexually active men who have sex with men be tested at least yearly. The USPSTF also recommends screening among those at high risk. - health care providers are required to notify public health  authorities, which will then ideally provide partner notification  to the person's partners.  - Physicians may also encourage patients to send their partners to seek care.