Can syphilis be inherited? Is syphilis inherited?

Syphilis is inherited from an infected mother or through the placenta during the 4-5th month of pregnancy or during childbirth. To reduce the chance of infection in the second case, doctors recommend a cesarean section. Often, when infected, the fetus dies in the womb, and arbitrary termination of pregnancy occurs.

Infection from an infected placenta occurs through the lymph slits of the umbilical vessels and through the umbilical vein. The chance of such an infection is not 100 percent, and if the pregnant woman’s placenta was not damaged, then treponema will not be able to penetrate to the fetus. Therefore, the concept often found in the literature - hereditary syphilis is not entirely correct, it is more correct to say - congenital, because “hereditary” means: inherited along with genes, and the routes of infection clearly indicate that the fetus can become infected after the period of its formation . When talking about inherited syphilis, they may mean early congenital form of the disease, late congenital and fetal syphilis.

In the early form of the disease, inherited, the newborn child exhibits such manifestations as excessive frailty, thinness, weak voice, wrinkled face, earthy color, sagging skin, deformation of the skull and cyanosis of the extremities. In some cases, an inherited disease may not manifest itself after childbirth, but be present in the child’s body, waiting for the right moment, which usually occurs after 2-3 months. In hereditary forms in children, chancre does not appear, but papular and pustular syphilides and other specific rashes may appear. During this period, the skin begins to thicken and redden from tension in places such as the buttocks, lips, chin, soles and face.

The next manifestation of hereditary syphilis is loss of eyelashes and eyebrows, then large blisters with a clear and then yellowish liquid appear on the palms and soles. However, this form of the disease is not limited only to external manifestations - the liver and spleen become denser and increase in size, and their edges are rounded.

Sometimes hereditary syphilis appears quite late at 8-15 years of age. Typically, this form of hereditary disease manifests itself in adolescents who have already been treated in childhood, but sometimes children who received the disease from their mother can be first diagnosed only at this age, having previously proceeded without any external manifestations.

Lacking the ability to produce protective bodies and exposed to the action of pale spirochetes that penetrate from the mother's blood through the baby's place, the fetus dies in the womb. If pregnant women are not treated, a spontaneous miscarriage usually occurs in the 4th-5th month; more often, premature birth (in the 7th-8th month) occurs, and the child is born dead with signs of decomposition. Sometimes a child is born alive, but weak and soon dies.

For the most part, children with congenital syphilis die in the first months of life or remain sick and weak. According to pre-revolutionary statistics, out of 100 children born with manifestations of syphilis, in the absence of treatment, only 5 live more than 5 years; if they grow up, they subsequently die from the first serious illness. Severe diseases of the bones, internal organs, eyes, and nervous system constantly threaten the patient with congenital syphilis and can... it will appear even after decades. Among mentally retarded children, the largest percentage are patients with congenital syphilis. Syphilis brings enormous harm to families and society.

A woman with syphilis can give birth to a healthy child only if she is treated correctly and repeats treatment during pregnancy; otherwise, syphilis appears again, and the pregnancy ends with the birth of a sick child. There are cases when mothers without external manifestations of syphilis, who are apparently healthy, give birth to seriously ill children. Only the birth of a child with signs of syphilis indicates in these cases that the mother is ill. Such cases indicate that women missed the primary signs of the disease - chancre and rashes. They were unaware of their illness and therefore were not treated.

Syphilis can only be transmitted to offspring by a mother who infects her child. Until it was known that syphilis could occur secretly, without causing any visible signs in the patient for a long time, it was assumed that this disease was transmitted to the offspring by a sick father through semen, while the mother remained healthy. As proof, they cited frequent cases where a mother who gave birth to a sick child did not have any manifestations of the disease. It has now been established that these seemingly healthy mothers are actually sick with latent syphilis, the first signs of which went unnoticed. With modern research methods it is not difficult to prove this.

In the inguinal lymph nodes, in the mucus of the uterus, in the milk of apparently healthy mothers who gave birth to offspring with syphilis, pale spirochetes are found. A blood test for syphilis almost always gives a positive result. These seemingly healthy mothers, marrying truly healthy men, give birth to children with syphilis and breastfeed them without any harm to themselves. A healthy woman, breastfeeding a child with syphilis, is sure to become infected from it, and she develops a hard chancre on the nipple. So, the mother of a child with syphilis is always sick herself. But in her, like in any patient with syphilis who is in the latent period of the disease, the new infection does not manifest itself in any way.
The fact that the seminal fluid of a patient with syphilis can be infectious is beyond doubt. When injected into a monkey or rabbit, it causes syphilis in them, since the pale spirochete is mixed with the seminal fluid. The spirochete cannot fit inside the sperm, since it is 3 times larger than the head of the sperm. Therefore, the causative agent of syphilis is never detected inside the sperm. If at the moment of conception the pale spirochete had penetrated along with the sperm into the female egg, then it would have been detected in the fetal tissues very early, already in the first stages of egg development, but before the formation of the baby's place, the pale spirochete is not found in the fetal tissues. Only after the fourth month of intrauterine life, after an exchange between the blood of the mother and the fetus is established through the baby's place, pale spirochetes are found in the fetal organs. They enter the child's body from the mother's blood through the umbilical vessels.

So it is firmly established that there is no hereditary syphilis, but congenital syphilis. The mother who gave birth to a sick child has syphilis. The fresher the mother’s disease, the more often she gives birth to sick children, since in her blood in the early stages of the disease there are many spirochetes, which quickly and in large quantities penetrate the child’s body. Spirochetes do not penetrate through a healthy afterbirth. Pale spirochetes, carried by blood to the child's place, first cause damage to the latter and, thus gaining access to the fetus, penetrate its body. If spirochetes entered the fetal body immediately before birth, and in small quantities, then the child’s body, mobilizing its defenses, can already weaken the proliferation of spirochetes so much that years will pass before congenital syphilis appears. So, we see that in a patient with congenital syphilis, the disease can proceed latently for a long time, without external manifestations.

If there are few spirochetes in the mother’s body and they are not able to cause diseases of the child’s place, then the child may not become infected. The validity of what has been said is confirmed by the fact that mothers, sometimes even insufficiently treated, sometimes give birth to completely healthy children.

The appearance of a sick child is noteworthy: his wrinkled face and deeply sunken eyes give him an senile appearance. With congenital syphilis, hard chancroid never occurs, since the causative agents of the disease immediately enter the internal organs of the fetus through the umbilical vessels, which explains the severe course of congenital syphilis. Lesions of the skeletal system are very painful. Severe patchy and nodular rashes appear on the skin. Merging, the rashes form large shiny surfaces, especially on the buttocks, face, and around the mouth. Due to irritation with saliva and constant screaming, deep painful cracks appear on the lips and around the mouth.

Painful abrasions appear on the contacting surfaces of the skin that are subject to friction, for example on the genitals, and blisters filled with liquid in which spirochetes are found on the palms and soles. The blisters burst, exposing the ulcerative surface. Nails often become sore and hair falls out.
In most children, the nasal mucosa is affected early, which manifests itself in the form of a runny nose. This makes breathing difficult. If left untreated, syphilitic runny nose lasts a very long time and destroys cartilage.

Normally, a child's bones grow in such a way that bone tissue forms in place of the cartilage. Dropsy of the head develops, which sometimes leads to severe mental illness. Congenital syphilis can be asymptomatic in children for a long time and appear suddenly after many years.

Late congenital syphilis It usually appears in children after the fifth year of life, but more often during puberty. It develops only in untreated and insufficiently treated children. Changes in the skeletal system are expressed in thickening and curvature of the bones, which is most often observed in the legs; these curvatures, convexly facing forward, give the shin the shape of a saber. Sometimes the bones of the skull are destroyed and the hard palate is perforated, causing speech impairment. Often joints become ill, simulating tuberculosis.

Changes in the shape of the teeth, eye disease, which are more often affected by late congenital syphilis than other organs, as well as deafness caused by damage to the inner ear.
Late congenital syphilis is severe and often leads to disability. The resulting lesions are very reminiscent of the tertiary period of syphilis in adults. Congenital syphilis can also be transmitted to the second generation, i.e. a mother with congenital syphilis who has received insufficient or no treatment can pass the disease on to her child. So, we see that syphilis has a serious impact on the offspring. Meanwhile, with timely and proper treatment of mothers, children can be saved from the disease.

Recognizing syphilis

Recognizing syphilis is an extremely important task. The earlier the disease is diagnosed, the sooner treatment will be started and the more data there will be to quickly recover from syphilis. With early treatment, all contagious manifestations of the disease are soon eliminated, and the patient becomes harmless to others. Syphilis not recognized in time is fraught with serious consequences for both the patient and others. There have been cases when a hard chancre located on the lip was mistaken for a boil or lip cancer; chancre located on the tonsils - for a sore throat, on the eyelid - for barley, etc. Weeping papules around the anus were diagnosed as hemorrhoids, syphilitic rashes - as non-contagious skin diseases, easily curable syphilis of the lungs or joints - as tuberculosis, etc. A disease that is not recognized in a timely manner develops further; there is less hope for a quick cure, and during this time the patient, unaware of his illness, infects others and introduces syphilis into the family.

The diagnosis of syphilis must always be accurate, since treatment cannot be prescribed without being firmly convinced that the patient actually suffers from syphilis. There are many diseases of the skin, bones, nervous system and internal organs that are very similar to syphilis. A person’s future life and family well-being depend on a correct diagnosis. The doctor performs a thorough external examination of the patient, examines his internal organs, sensory organs, skeletal and nervous systems.

If necessary, X-rays are taken, etc. If a fresh disease is suspected, material is taken from ulcers and erosions to be examined for the presence of a pale spirochete.
It is more difficult to identify syphilis when it does not appear outwardly. In these cases, blood testing (serological reactions according to Wasserman and sediment, trephine immobilization reaction - RIT), cerebrospinal fluid, x-ray, etc. helps.

With syphilis, very complex changes occur in the body, in particular, the physicochemical composition of the blood changes, which is recognized using special serological reactions.

Treatment of syphilis

Currently, antibiotics are mainly used to treat patients with syphilis: penicillin, ecmonovocillin, phenoxymethylpenicillin, bicillin-3, erythromycin, bismuth preparations - bijoquinol, bismoverol, pentabismol (water-soluble bismuth).

For preventive purposes, daily antihistamines and calcium pantothenate are prescribed. If a complication arises - calcium pantothenate, intramuscular injections of diphenhydramine, orally - diazolin. If shock occurs, immediately administer adrenaline, atropine, mezaton, caffeine subcutaneously, or intramuscularly diphenhydramine; artificial respiration, oxygen inhalation; in severe cases - prednisolone.

Preventive (prophylactic) treatment is carried out only for those people who have had sexual intercourse or very close household contact with someone who is clearly sick with a contagious form of syphilis. In these cases, one course of treatment with penicillin (ecmonovocillin, bicillin) is carried out.

Treatment of syphilis should be general; treatment of local manifestations is of secondary importance. Therefore, the patient must be thoroughly and thoroughly examined. Serological testing should be carried out dynamically before and during the entire period of treatment and subsequent follow-up observation with mandatory determination of the reagin titer in case of a positive Wasserman reaction. It is necessary to increase the patient's body's resistance. Physical exercise, a nutritious diet rich in vitamins, taking synthetic vitamins, and prohibiting alcohol contribute to the success of treatment. It is useful to use nonspecific therapy (subcutaneous oxygen injections, placenta injections, aloe, spa therapy, etc.).
Pursuing the goal of treating a patient with syphilis without suppressing the body's defenses, the only appropriate is intermittent treatment, in which the course of treatment is followed by a break. Specific agents cannot be administered continuously without causing harm to the body. At the same time, prolonged treatment is unacceptable. The breaks between courses when treated with penicillin alone should not exceed 2-3 weeks, after treatment with bismuth - 1-1.5 months.

When starting to treat a patient with a contagious form of syphilis, the paramedic is obliged to find out the source of infection. The source of infection should be immediately involved in treatment; people who had sexual contact with the patient are subject to preventive treatment, and close household contacts are subject to examination and observation.

Most people strongly associate it with promiscuity and the lumpen, that is, the lower strata of society. But you shouldn’t believe stereotypes, because this disease affects all categories of citizens, and you can become infected with Treponema pallidum (the causative agent of syphilis) even without having sex without a condom. How does the disease spread, is it possible to become infected through household means, and what factors contribute to the rapid development of the disease?

The main risk group for this disease are people who are not familiar with the basic rules of personal hygiene, as well as those patients who constantly have sexual intercourse with different partners:

• alcoholics;
• drug addicts;
• prostitutes;
• persons without a fixed place of residence.

The worst thing is that they not only suffer from syphilis, but also spread Treponema pallidum around them.

This factor contributes to the formation of the second risk group:

• doctors, especially gynecologists, venereologists and dermatologists;
• social service workers;
• cleaners, as well as those citizens whose work involves contact with carriers of infection and their secretions.

Thus, almost anyone can become infected with syphilis. But for the rapid and successful reproduction of Treponema pallidum in the human body, the presence of several more factors that are directly related to immunity is necessary:

• violation of the daily routine;
• constant overwork leading to chronic fatigue;
• few vegetables and fruits in the diet;
• ignoring the need to cure any disease, especially infectious.

To summarize, we can say that no one is immune from syphilis. Although the main route of transmission of infection is sexual, the disease can be contracted even in the complete absence of intimate life.

How is syphilis transmitted?

The main route of infection with Treponema pallidum is unprotected sexual contact with a carrier of the infection. At the same time, even a condom does not always provide the proper level of protection, because the rubber product can tear, and simply turn out to be of poor quality, that is, capable of passing secretions through its structure along with all bacteria and viruses. Moreover, not only classic sex can cause the transmission of syphilis. The fact is that in the acute form of syphilis, infection is possible even through close contact with a partner, that is, through areas of the skin distant from the genitals. A rubber contraceptive is not able to prevent this way of spreading the infection, but it protects the genitals reliably, treponemas will not go away:

• Kiss. Infection is theoretically possible, but in practice this happens very rarely. There should be a decent amount of the pathogen in the patient's saliva. In this case, the kiss must be long and deep, and the oral cavity of a healthy person (as long as healthy) must necessarily have wounds. In addition, syphilitic ulcers in the mouth and lips are quite rare.
• Oral sex. The principle of transmission of infection is the same as in the case of a kiss. However, the likelihood of infection is higher. The fact is that there is 100% treponema infection on the penis of the carrier of the infection; all that is needed is for the second partner to have at least one small wound in his mouth.
• Anal sex. The risk of infection is very high, especially with active movements during contact. In this situation, there is a serious possibility of rupture of the rectal lining, so transmission of infection is more likely than through kissing and oral sex.
• Domestic. If you constantly live together with a carrier of treponema, the risk of contracting an infection is quite high. You have to use common household items (furniture, towels, dishes). In addition, there is the possibility of transmitting syphilis by airborne droplets, and it is more likely than through “dry” contact - in an anhydrous space the microorganism dies quite quickly.

If you do not take into account the transmission of infection through a kiss, then any intimate contact with a sick person implies a 50% chance of receiving treponema as a “reward”.

Some doctors who come into contact with the biological fluids of syphilis carriers are at significant risk. In this case, infection is possible:

1. Only if the skin or mucous membranes of a healthy person are damaged.
2. If there are no wounds on the body, then even a liter of a patient’s blood spilled on a citizen will not lead to the transmission of infection.
3. However, if this blood enters the esophagus or respiratory tract, the risk increases significantly, especially if the immune system is weak.

Please note that syphilis can be inherited from mother to child. This occurs during the 4th or 5th month of pregnancy. Treponema pallidum penetrates through the placenta into the baby’s body (this is possible in most cases only if the placenta is damaged). Sometimes this development of events leads to fetal death and spontaneous termination of pregnancy. By the way, you cannot call this hereditary syphilis; the correct name for the pathology is congenital syphilis.

Many people are concerned about the possibility of contracting syphilis in the pool. Let's face it - there is such a risk, but it is minimal. The fact is that in all swimming pools the water is regularly sanitized; Treponema pallidum simply does not survive in such conditions.

First signs

An infected person experiences the following symptoms:

1. hard chancres form on the body (ulcers with a rounded shape that disappear with the development of the disease);
2. elevated temperature;
3. insomnia accompanied by weakness;
4. pain and sensation of “ache” in the bones;
5. headache.

Swelling of the genitals sometimes occurs, although this is quite rare. Since the diagnosis of early syphilis is complicated by generalized symptoms (common to many diseases), such a sign can tell the doctor a lot during the examination even before the tests are carried out.

Prevention

The main and most effective means of protection against Treponema pallidum is the use of a condom during sex with a potential carrier of the infection. On the other hand, it is better to refrain from such dubious contacts altogether, especially if you met your partner in a nightclub and are seeing him for the first and last time in your life. But that's not all. To fully guarantee safety, you must follow a number of precautions related to personal hygiene:

• do not avoid water procedures; it is recommended to take a shower at least once a day;
• wash your hands several times a day, especially before eating, after visiting the toilet and public places;
• do not use someone else’s bedding and underwear;
• if you live in a hotel, then try treating the sheets and blanket with an antiseptic, such as miramistin;
• add vegetables and fruits to your diet, as well as those foods that have a beneficial effect on the immune system.

In addition, do not allow common colds or any other infectious ailments to linger. They exhaust the body, making it vulnerable to treponema pallidum. All these simple rules will reliably protect you and your loved ones from such a dangerous disease as syphilis!

You can also find out by watching this video what syphilis is and what other routes of infection are there?

A clinical form of syphilis that occurs when a child is infected in utero with Treponema pallidum. Congenital syphilis can manifest itself at different periods of a child’s life from prenatal to adolescence. It is characterized by specific syphilitic lesions of the skin, mucous membranes, bone tissue, somatic organs and nervous system. Diagnosis of congenital syphilis is based on the isolation of the pathogen from the blood, skin secretions and cerebrospinal fluid; positive results of serological reactions and PCR diagnostics, examination of the condition of internal organs. Treatment of congenital syphilis is carried out with antibiotics, bismuth preparations and nonspecific agents aimed at increasing immunity.

ICD-10

A50

General information

Typical symptoms of congenital syphilis in infants are also syphilitic runny nose and Hochsinger's infiltration. Syphilitic runny nose has a long course with pronounced swelling of the mucous membrane, copious mucous discharge, and severe difficulty in nasal breathing. It can lead to damage to the osteochondral structures of the nose with the formation of a saddle deformity. Hochsinger's infiltration is expressed by the appearance in the 8-10th week of a child with congenital syphilis of a dense infiltrate (syphilide), located in the chin and lips, on the soles, buttocks and palms. The child’s lips are thickened and swollen, crack and bleed, the skin of the affected areas loses elasticity, thickens, and its folds smooth out.

With congenital syphilis in infancy, ulcerative lesions of the larynx may occur with the occurrence of hoarseness. Bone tissue lesions are manifested by osteochondritis and periostitis, mainly of long tubular bones. As with secondary syphilis, specific lesions of somatic organs due to congenital syphilis can be observed: hepatitis, myocarditis, pericarditis, endocarditis, glomerulonephritis, hydrocephalus, meningitis, meningoencephalitis. In boys, specific orchitis is often observed, and sometimes testicular hydrocele. Lung damage in congenital syphilis occurs with the development of interstitial diffuse pneumonia, which often leads to the death of the child in the first days of life.

In early childhood, congenital syphilis can manifest itself as eye diseases, damage to the nervous system and limited skin manifestations in the form of a few large papules and condylomas lata. With congenital syphilis in young children, damage to internal organs is less pronounced. Changes in bone tissue are revealed only on radiographs.

Late congenital syphilis begins to manifest itself clinically after 2 years of age, most often in adolescence (14-15 years). Its symptoms are similar to those of tertiary syphilis. These are gummous or tuberculate syphilides, localized on the trunk, face, limbs, nasal mucosa and hard palate. They quickly disintegrate and form ulcers. Common symptoms of late congenital syphilis include specific gonitis, saber-shaped shins, as well as dystrophic changes (stigmas) caused by the influence of the pathogen on developing tissues and organs. Stigmas are nonspecific and can be observed in other infectious diseases (for example, tuberculosis). Specific to late congenital syphilis is Hutchinson's triad: syphilitic labyrinthitis, diffuse keratitis and Hutchinson's teeth - dystrophic changes in the central upper incisors.

Latent congenital syphilis can be observed in a child at any age. It occurs in the complete absence of clinical symptoms and is detected only by the results of serological studies.

Diagnosis of congenital syphilis

The diagnosis of congenital syphilis is confirmed by the detection of pale treponema in the contents of the blisters of syphilitic pemphigus or the discharge of ulcers. However, in the absence of skin manifestations, it is not possible to use this diagnostic method. Identification of the pathogen in congenital syphilis can be carried out by microscopic examination of cerebrospinal fluid obtained as a result of lumbar puncture. But the negative result of this study does not exclude the presence of a latent form of congenital syphilis.

Serological tests play a decisive role in the diagnosis of congenital syphilis. Nonspecific studies (Wassermann reaction, RPR test) may give false positive results. Therefore, if congenital syphilis is suspected, specific serological tests are also widely used: RIF, RIBT, RPGA. PCR detection of treponema pallidum is carried out with blood, scrapings, and skin secretions from patients with congenital syphilis. The accuracy of the result is 97%.

Diagnosis of syphilitic lesions of various internal organs may include consultation with a pulmonologist, neurologist, hepatologist, nephrologist, ophthalmologist, otolaryngologist, X-ray of the lungs, X-ray examination of the bones, ultrasonography, ECHO-EG, lumbar puncture, ultrasound of the abdominal organs and liver, ultrasound of the kidneys, etc.

Treatment of congenital syphilis

Treponema pallidum, unlike most other microorganisms, still remains highly sensitive to the effects of penicillin antibiotics. Therefore, the main therapy for congenital syphilis consists of long-term systemic administration of penicillins (benzylpenicillins in combinations and in combination with ecmolin). If a child experiences an allergic reaction to penicillin or treponema resistance is detected based on culture results with an antibiogram, treatment is carried out with erythromycin, cephalosporins or tetracycline derivatives.

When congenital syphilis affects the nervous system with the development of neurosyphilis, endolumbar administration of antibiotics and pyrotherapy (prodigiosan, pyrogenal), which improves their penetration through the blood-brain barrier, are indicated. In the treatment of late congenital syphilis, along with antibiotic therapy, bismuth preparations (bismoverol, bijoquinol) are prescribed. Vitamins, biogenic stimulants, and immunomodulators are also used.

Prevention of congenital syphilis

The main preventive measure in the prevention of congenital syphilis is a mandatory double serological examination of all pregnant women for syphilis. If a positive serological reaction to syphilis is detected, the woman is further examined. The diagnosis of syphilis in the early stages of pregnancy is a medical indication for abortion. If pregnancy is maintained, but treatment is started early, a woman infected with syphilis may have a healthy child.

To the question, how does the disease syphilis manifest? ? and how is it transmitted? given by the author ❤️Juliya ❤️ the best answer is

Answer from ЇеLOVEcheg.[guru]
Don't fuck with just anyone and you won't have to be interested in it.

Answer from Amelie Phantom[guru]
Syphilis is a common infectious disease caused by Treponema pallidum, prone to chronicity and relapse without treatment and capable of affecting all organs and systems.
There are direct and indirect routes of infection with syphilis. Direct - through sexual intercourse, kissing, through a transfusion of contaminated blood, during surgery, infection of the fetus from an infected mother or when breastfeeding a child. Indirect route of infection - through objects in contact with syphilis infection: dental instruments, toothbrushes, towels, washcloths, enemas, musical instruments, etc.

In the classical course of syphilis, three clinical periods are distinguished: primary, secondary and tertiary, which successively replace each other. The time from the moment of infection to the appearance of primary manifestations at the site of introduction of the pathogen is called the incubation period. On average it is 4-6 weeks, but can be shortened to 8-15 days or even extended to 100-180 days. The incubation period is lengthened if the patient took antibiotics for other diseases after contracting syphilis. In this case, it happens that the primary manifestation of syphilis may not exist at all.

The first manifestations and symptoms of syphilis
The first clinical sign of syphilis - “chancroid” - appears at the site where treponema pallidum has entered the body. According to the figurative expression of the French: “in case of syphilis, the first place to be punished is the place where the sin was committed.” That is, hard chancre can appear anywhere where there was contact with an infected person: on the genitals themselves, on the skin of the pubis, thighs, scrotum, abdomen, in the oral cavity or on the lips, in the anal area, on the skin of the hands. Therefore, such a universal means of protection as a condom often does not protect against syphilis infection.

The formed chancre looks like round or oval superficial ulcers or erosions, often with a smooth shiny bottom. Its dimensions can vary: from 1-3 mm (dwarf chancre) to 2 or more cm (giant chancre). From the moment hard chancre appears, the primary period of syphilis begins, which continues until multiple syphilitic rashes appear on the patient’s skin. 8-14 days after the appearance of hard chancre, the lymph nodes closest to it begin to enlarge. Sometimes in the primary period of syphilis, towards the end, before the appearance of rashes, patients often experience malaise, insomnia, headache, loss of appetite, increased irritability, pain in the bones and joints, and fever up to 38°C. Indurative swelling of the genitals is possible. The primary period of syphilis is divided into primary seronegative syphilis, when standard serological blood reactions are still negative (the first 3-4 weeks from the onset of chancroid) and primary seropositive syphilis, when blood reactions become positive. If the doctor has an assumption that the patient has become infected with syphilis, and serological blood tests are still negative, then it is necessary to begin treatment as quickly as possible, since with seropositive syphilis the treatment is longer and more intensive.

Answer from Alyona[guru]
syphilis, scientifically Lewis. It is transmitted sexually (during sex) and household (through dishes and household items) through. There are 3 stages of syphilis: 1,2,3.
with the first, only one ulcer appears on the body, with the second it all increases, the number of ulcers increases, at the third stage the nasal septum becomes weak, the whole body is covered in itchy ulcers, etc. in general, a terrible disease, it is difficult to cure even at the first stage stages.

Answer from Brezhnev L. I.[guru]
Syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease, is transmitted sexually, domestically and by inheritance. Nowadays it is cured. Spirochetes are found in blood, saliva, and breast milk. A non-healing ulcer forms at the site of penetration - on the genitals, on the mucous membrane of the oral cavity. One doctor, who got infected from a patient, even had it on the tip of his index finger. The sooner the patient begins treatment, the sooner he will recover.

Answer from Olchik[guru]
Syphilis (old: lues) is a chronic systemic infectious disease caused by a microorganism of the species Treponema pallidum (treponema pallidum).
Syphilis is transmitted mainly through sexual contact, and therefore belongs to the group of sexually transmitted diseases, or STIs (sexually transmitted infections). However, it is also possible to transmit syphilis through blood, for example, during a blood transfusion from a donor infected with syphilis, or among injection drug addicts when using shared syringes and/or shared containers for drug solutions, or in everyday life when using shared “bloody” instruments such as toothbrushes or straight razors. .
The household “bloodless” route of infection with syphilis is also not excluded, but is very rare and requires close contact with a patient with the tertiary stage of syphilis who has open syphilitic ulcers or disintegrating syphilitic gums, from which the pathogen can get, for example, onto the dishes from which the patient drank. You can also list: towels, spoons, toothbrushes, linen, etc. objects that come into contact with mucous membranes. The incubation period of the primary stage of syphilis is on average 3 weeks (interval from several days to 6 weeks) from the moment of infection. At the end of the incubation period, in the case of sexual or domestic infection, a primary affect usually develops at the site of penetration of the microbe. Most often, the primary affect manifests itself in the form of a characteristic “chancre” - a deep, usually painless or almost painless, non-bleeding syphilitic ulcer with smooth lateral surfaces, a smooth bottom and smooth edges that have a regular rounded shape. The ulcer is dense (for which it is called chancre), is not fused with the surrounding tissues, and does not show a tendency to grow in diameter, deepen, or form satellite ulcers. Regional lymphadenitis is often detected. At the same time, the regional lymph nodes closest to the ulcer are enlarged, dense, infiltrated, but usually painless, not fused with the surrounding tissues and “cold” - their temperature is not elevated, as in many inflammatory diseases. Sometimes the primary affect is completely absent or is not detected by the patient in the short period of its existence, since it is located in a hard-to-reach place (for example, at the bottom of the vagina in women). In this case, the disease may appear to have begun immediately from the secondary stage (syphilitic bacteremia) or even immediately from the chronic, latent stage. After a few days or weeks, the initial affect disappears. Soon after this, the secondary, bacteremic stage of syphilis develops. It is characterized by generalized lesions of the skin and mucous membranes, often in the form of a very characteristic pale-spotted rash (“necklace of Venus”) or in the form of multiple small hemorrhages in the skin and mucous membranes. At this stage, the patient may have mild malaise, low-grade fever (about 37 °C or slightly higher), weakness and symptoms of catarrh of the upper respiratory tract (cough, runny nose) or symptoms of conjunctivitis. Often, at the stage of secondary syphilis, the characteristic spotty rash on the skin and mucosal lesions are completely absent, and the disease looks like catarrh of the upper respiratory tract (that is, a common “cold”). Therefore, at this stage, the disease may go unnoticed by the patient, especially if the patient had not previously detected a primary affect. The stage of syphilitic bacteremia, or the secondary stage, usually lasts several days, rarely lasting more than 1-2 weeks. At the same time, the spotted rash gradually turns pale and disappears, in parallel, the symptoms of catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, weakness and malaise weaken and disappear. Then comes the asymptomatic, latent chronic stage of syphilis, which can last many months or years, and sometimes even 10-20 years or more.