Syphillis

4 Pages 962 Words

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the spiral bacteria called Treponema pallidum. Syphilis is usually transmitted by sexual contact or kissing. The way it infects is from the secretions emitted from the sores, and the bacterium gets into small tears or cuts on the genitalia. Unlike AIDS, infection from contaminated objects is rare, because drying quickly kills the organisms. You cannot obtain syphilis from casual hugging, or from toilet seats in dirty bathrooms. Syphilis consists of three main stages, primary stage, secondary stage, and latent stage. (Webster Dictionary) The latent stage may lead to a final stage called the tertiary stage. There have been many cures in regards to syphilis, so many that it has been virtually eliminated from today's society. Contracting syphilis can be prevented although there are many ways to contract it.
According to Tilden the primary stage of syphilis is characterized by a small lesion, called a chancre, which resembles a pimple, blister or open sore. This occurs anytime between nine days and three months after infection. Fluid from the chancre is extremely infectious, but usually painless. Normally it appears on the genitals or near where the bacteria entered the body. It is often ignored and many people never realize that it is there. “On women, the sore can be found hidden in the vagina or the folds of the labia. On men, it usually hides in the folds of the foreskin, under the scrotum, or near the base of the penis.” (Tilden, 1998) More often than not men, more than women, will have swollen lymph nodes in the groin area. The chancre is very infectious at this stage. It will heal with or without treatment, but the bacteria will remain and begin to spread if untreated.
Hayden states that in the secondary stage, occurring about six weeks later, a generalized rash appears. It can last for weeks or months, perhaps up to a year. More common are the painless ulcers that deve...