What is Syphilis?
Overview
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by bacteria that can lead to serious health problems if it is not treated. It develops in stages—primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary—and each stage can have different signs and symptoms.
Syphilis can also be passed from a pregnant person to their baby, which can lead to serious health complications. The good news is that syphilis is curable with antibiotics, especially when it is found and treated early.
Symptoms
Syphilis develops in stages, and each stage can have different symptoms. Some symptoms may be mild or go unnoticed, so testing is important to detect and treat syphilis early.
Primary Stage
A painless sore (called a chancre) may appear where the infection entered the body, such as the genitals, mouth, or anus. The sore can heal on its own, but the infection is still present.
Secondary Stage
Symptoms may include a rash (often on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet), as well as fever, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, fatigue, and muscle aches. These symptoms may also go away without treatment but your infection will move to the latent or tertiary stages.
Latent Stage
There are no visible symptoms during this stage, but the infection remains in the body.
Tertiary Stage
If untreated, syphilis can cause serious damage to the heart, brain, and other organs many years later. This can also lead to death.
How it spreads
Syphilis is spread through direct contact with a syphilis sore (chancre) during vaginal, anal, or oral sex. These sores are caused by the infection and can appear on or around the genitals, anus, or mouth. Because they are often painless and may be hard to see, a person may not realize they have been exposed.
Syphilis can also be passed from a pregnant person to their baby during pregnancy, which can lead to serious health complications.
Syphilis is not spread through casual contact such as:
Toilet seats
Doorknobs
Pools or hot tubs
Sharing clothing
Sharing food or eating utensils
Prevention
The only way to completely avoid syphilis is to not have vaginal, anal, or oral sex. However, if you are sexually active, there are ways to lower your risk:
Being in a mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has tested negative
Using condoms correctly every time you have sex
Getting tested regularly
Condoms can reduce the risk of syphilis, but they may not fully protect you if a sore is in an area not covered by the condom.
If you are pregnant, getting tested for syphilis during pregnancy is important. Early testing and treatment can help prevent passing the infection to your baby and reduce the risk of serious health complications.
Testing
Testing and Treatment
Regular testing is important for detecting syphilis early, especially if you are sexually active.
You may need to be tested more often if you:
Have multiple or new partners
Have a partner who has tested positive for syphilis
Are living with HIV
Are taking PrEP for HIV prevention
Live in a community with higher rates of syphilis
Pregnant individuals should be tested for syphilis during early pregnancy, and in some cases, again later in pregnancy to help protect the baby.
How testing works:
Syphilis is usually diagnosed with a blood test. Some clinics, like DIHFS, may first use a finger poke screening test. If that test is positive, a blood sample is then collected to confirm the diagnosis.
Treatment
Syphilis is treatable and curable with antibiotics, especially when it is found early.
Treatment is usually given by a healthcare provider and may involve one or more doses of medication, depending on the stage of infection
Even if symptoms go away, treatment is still needed to fully clear the infection
Treatment is important because it can:
Cure the infection
Prevent serious health complications
Stop the spread to others, including to a baby during pregnancy
It’s also important to know:
Having syphilis once does not protect you from getting it again
Follow-up testing may be needed to make sure the treatment worked
Sexual partners should be tested and treated to prevent reinfection
If you think you may have syphilis, talking to a healthcare provider and getting treated early can make a big difference.