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	Syphilis
	Definition
	Syphilis is a serious sexually transmitted disease that is far less common than gonorrhea.
	Cause
	Caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum, a bacterial spirochete that affects only humans.
	Diagnosis
	The incubation period usually lasts 2 to 3 weeks but can be as long as 8 weeks. The first sign of infection is a hard, painless, red, protruding sore or ulcer called a chancre (pronounced "shanker") at the primary infection site (usually on the genitals or occasionally the rectum or on the tongue, lips, or breast). In women, if the sore develops in the vagina or cervix it may go unnoticed. The lymph nodes near the chancre usually swell and a definitive diagnosis can be made by microscopic examination of the bacterium scraped from the chancre. Secondary syphilis develops 2 to 6 weeks after the chancre heals and is marked by flulike symptoms: fever, headache, loss of appetite, general malaise sometimes accompanied by enlarged lymph nodes, joint pain, and a skin rash of small, red, scaling bumps that do not itch. At this stage a blood test can be used to diagnose the disease. During the third and final stage of the disease latent or late syphilis the disease can lie dormant for years until it flares without warning, attacking almost any organ and mimicking many chronic conditions. At this point, syphilis frequently affects the brain, causing paralysis, senility, insanity, loss of sensation in the legs, and blindness (rare); nerves to a joint can be destroyed. The large blood vessel leading from the heart (the aorta) can be damaged, as can the heart valves. Syphilis can also be congenital passed along by a mother to her newborn. The usual signs of congenital infection in a newborn are skin sores or lesions, a runny nose, severe tenderness over the bones, and deafness. The diagnosis can be made by examining umbilical cord blood at the time of birth.
	Treatment
	For babies, immediate antibiotic therapy can quickly eliminate infection, preventing any serious aftereffects. Among adults, injections of penicillin will readily cure syphilis. If the nerves are infected, the physician may hospitalize the patient so that megadoses of antibiotic can be administered intravenously.
	Prevention
	Syphilis is highly contagious during its first and second stages; any person who suspects or knows he or she has an infection should immediately notify all sexual partners. Use of a condom during sexual intercourse can help prevent its spread. Pregnant women with syphilis must give birth by cesarean section to avoid passing it on to the newborn.
	Male/Female Differences
	In women, the characteristic sores may be internal and thus may not be noticed.