Sexually transmitted diseases. Primary syphilis

Abstract

Syphilis is an infectious spirochetal disease caused by Treponema pallidum. The disease is transmitted from person to person during sexual intercourse, congenitally by an infected pregnant woman to the fetus in utero, or very rarely, non-sexually. In its natural course, syphilis is characterized by an acute infectious primary and secondary stage, followed by a subclinical course of latency which may persist for years, or may progress in a minority of patients to a noninfectious late symptomatic stage where active involvement of the central nervous system, the cardiovascular system or localized gummatous destructive lesions may occur. This article reviews the clinical features and management of primary syphilis.