On average, the sore shows up around three weeks after infection, but it can take between 10 and 90 days to appear. The sore remains for anywhere between two to six weeks. Syphilis is transmitted by direct contact with a sore.
This usually occurs during sexual activity, including oral sex. Skin rashes and a sore throat may develop during the second stage of syphilis.
These symptoms will go away whether or not treatment is received. However, without treatment, a person still has syphilis. The third stage of syphilis is the latent, or hidden, stage. However, the bacteria remain in the body. This stage could last for years before progressing to tertiary syphilis.
The last stage of infection is tertiary syphilis. Tertiary syphilis can occur years or decades after the initial infection. Tertiary syphilis can be life-threatening. Some other potential outcomes of tertiary syphilis include:. If you think you might have syphilis, go to your doctor as soon as possible. If a sore is present, your doctor may take a sample from the sore to determine if the syphilis bacteria are present.
During this procedure, spinal fluid is collected so that your doctor can test for syphilis bacteria. This is to prevent the fetus from being infected with congenital syphilis. Congenital syphilis can cause severe damage in a newborn and can even be fatal. You can also consider ordering an at-home syphilis testing kit.
Primary and secondary syphilis are easy to treat with a penicillin injection. Penicillin is one of the most widely used antibiotics and is usually effective in treating syphilis. People who are allergic to penicillin will likely be treated with a different antibiotic, such as:.
This will often require a brief hospital stay. The bacteria can be killed, but treatment will most likely focus on easing pain and discomfort. It may take several months for blood tests to show that syphilis has reduced to an appropriate level. Low enough levels confirm adequate treatment. If a person receives a diagnosis of syphilis, they must notify any sexual partners. Their partners should also undergo testing.
Local services are available to notify sexual partners of their potential exposure to syphilis, enable testing and, if necessary, administer treatment. Healthcare professionals will also recommend testing for HIV. Many providers now offer at-home tests for syphilis. Many people with an STI will not be aware of it. Therefore, it is a good idea to talk to a doctor or request a test in the following situations:. Syphilis develops when T. The infection can pass from a woman to a fetus during pregnancy or to an infant during delivery.
This type is called congenital syphilis. Syphilis cannot spread through shared contact with objects, such as doorknobs, eating utensils, and toilet seats. Having syphilis once does not mean that a person has protection from it going forward. The VDRL test can test for the presence of syphilis. Learn more about how what it is, how it works, and symptoms a person should look for. The secondary stage of syphilis has symptoms including sores on the genitals, mouth, and anus. Diagnosis involves a physical exam.
Learn more about…. The rapid plasma reagin test is a simple blood test that screens for syphilis. Doctors recommend the RPR test when they suspect that a person may have…. What to know about syphilis.
Medically reviewed by Jill Seladi-Schulman, Ph. What is syphilis? All babies born to mothers who test positive for syphilis during pregnancy should be screened for syphilis and examined thoroughly for evidence of congenital syphilis.
Treponemal tests e. Treponemal antibodies appear earlier than nontreponemal antibodies and usually remain detectable for life, even after successful treatment. If a treponemal test is used for screening and the results are positive, a nontreponemal test with titer should be performed to confirm diagnosis and guide patient management decisions.
Based on the results, further treponemal testing may be indicated. Reverse sequence testing can identify persons previously treated for syphilis and those with untreated syphilis. False-positive results can occur in those with low likelihood of infection with reverse sequence testing as well. Special note: Because untreated syphilis in a pregnant woman can infect her developing baby, every pregnant woman should have a blood test for syphilis.
All women should be screened at their first prenatal visit. Some patients should receive a second test during the third trimester at 28 weeks and again at delivery. All infants born to mothers who have reactive nontreponemal and treponemal test results should be evaluated for congenital syphilis.
A quantitative nontreponemal test should be performed on infant serum and, if reactive, the infant should be examined thoroughly for evidence of congenital syphilis. Suspicious lesions, body fluids, or tissues e. Other recommended evaluations may include analysis of cerebrospinal fluid by VDRL, cell count and protein, CBC with differential and platelet count, and long-bone radiographs. For further guidance on evaluation of infants for congenital syphilis, please refer to the STI Treatment Guidelines.
There is an estimated 2- to 5-fold increased risk of acquiring HIV if exposed to that infection when syphilis is present. The recommended treatment for adults and adolescents with primary, secondary, or early latent syphilis is Benzathine penicillin G 2. The recommended treatment for adults and adolescents with late latent syphilis or latent syphilis of unknown duration is Benzathine penicillin G 7. The recommended treatment for neurosyphilis, ocular syphilis, or otosyphilis is Aqueous crystalline penicillin G million units per day, administered as million units intravenously every 4 hours or continuous infusion, for days.
Treatment will prevent disease progression, but it might not repair damage already done. Selection of the appropriate penicillin preparation is important to properly treat and cure syphilis. Combinations of some penicillin preparations e. Although data to support the use of alternatives to penicillin is limited, options for non-pregnant patients who are allergic to penicillin may include doxycycline, tetracycline, and for neurosyphilis, potentially ceftriaxone.
These therapies should be used only in conjunction with close clinical and laboratory follow-up to ensure appropriate serological response and cure. Persons who receive syphilis treatment must abstain from sexual contact with new partners until the syphilis sores are completely healed. Persons with syphilis must notify their sex partners so that they also can be tested and receive treatment if necessary. Any person with signs or symptoms suggestive of syphilis should be tested for syphilis.
Also, anyone with an oral, anal, or vaginal sex partner who has been recently diagnosed with syphilis should be tested for syphilis. Some people should be tested screened for syphilis even if they do not have symptoms or know of a sex partner who has syphilis. Syphilis is contagious during its primary and secondary stages, and sometimes in the early latent period. Less commonly, syphilis may spread through direct contact with an active lesion, such as during kissing.
It can also be passed from mothers to their babies during pregnancy or childbirth. Syphilis can't be spread by using the same toilet, bathtub, clothing or eating utensils, or from doorknobs, swimming pools or hot tubs. Once cured, syphilis doesn't return on its own.
However, you can become reinfected if you have contact with someone's syphilis sore. Without treatment, syphilis can lead to damage throughout your body. Syphilis also increases the risk of HIV infection and can cause problems during pregnancy. Treatment can help prevent future damage but can't repair or reverse damage that's already occurred. In the late stage of syphilis, bumps gummas can develop on the skin, bones, liver or any other organ. Gummas usually disappear after treatment with antibiotics.
These may include bulging and swelling of the aorta — your body's major artery — and of other blood vessels. Syphilis may also damage heart valves.
Adults with sexually transmitted syphilis or other genital ulcers have an estimated two- to fivefold increased risk of contracting HIV. A syphilis sore can bleed easily, providing an easy way for HIV to enter the bloodstream during sexual activity.
If you're pregnant, you may pass syphilis to your unborn baby. Congenital syphilis greatly increases the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth or your newborn's death within a few days after birth. There is no vaccine for syphilis.
To help prevent the spread of syphilis, follow these suggestions:. If tests show that you have syphilis, your sex partners — including current partners and any other partners you've had over the last three months to one year — need to be informed so that they can get tested. If they're infected, they can then be treated. Official, confidential partner notification can help limit the spread of syphilis. The practice also steers those at risk toward counseling and the right treatment.
And since you can contract syphilis more than once, partner notification reduces your risk of getting reinfected. People can be infected with syphilis and not know it.
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