section name header

Information

Editors

EijaHiltunen-Back

Syphilis

Essentials

  • Suspected syphilis should be verified with serological tests and the patient should be treated with the most efficient antimicrobial drugs.
  • Syphilis is a notifiable infectious disease. Its treatment and contact tracing should be centralized to specialist STD centres or to other experts.

Aetiology and transmission

  • The pathogen is the spirochete Treponema pallidum.
  • Easily transmitted sexually and also from the mother to the foetus
  • Untreated syphilis is contagious for about 2 years.
  • Untreated syphilis in a pregnant woman may infect the foetus in all stages of the disease.

Clinical picture

  • Asymptomatic incubation period lasts for 3-4 weeks after which two thirds of the patients have visible symptoms.
  1. Primary symptoms (local infection)
    • An indurated non-tender ulcer (picture 1) in the genital region, sometimes also in the anus or the oral region
    • Local non-tender lymph node enlargement
  2. Secondary stage 6-8 weeks after exposure (general infection)
    • General symptoms include malaise, fever and enlarged lymph nodes.
    • Roseola eczema (picture 2) resembles widely spread viral eczema or drug eruption.
    • Syphilides, i.e. formations of papules are found in the hands (picture 3) and feet (picture 4) or spread all over the body. May be large, cauliflower-like formations (condylomata latum) around the anus or necrotic in patients with a poor immune response (e.g. HIV).
    • Alopecia syphilitica, typical "moth-eaten" spotty baldness in some patients
  3. Late symptoms occur in about one third of untreated patients in 10-30 years. The most important are neurological (atypical psychosis, paralytic dementia) and vascular symptoms (aortic aneurysm, valvular regurgitation).

Differential diagnosis

Diagnosis

  • Clinical picture
  • Serology
    • Determination of Treponema pallidum antibodies is the primary screening test. The enzyme immunoassay test is specific and sensitive.
      • The test becomes positive within 3-4 weeks after infection.
      • The test identifies Treponema antibodies also in previously treated or latent cases in which the cardiolipin test remains negative.
      • Remember always to ask whether the patient has been treated for syphilis earlier.
      • A positive result is verified by immunoblotting.
      • The cardiolipin test becomes positive 3-4 weeks after infection. A low titre may suggest a serological scar of an earlier treated infection or latent syphilis.
    • TPHA test is used to confirm the cardiolipin test.
      • Becomes positive slightly later than that of the cardiolipin test.
      • Specific (almost 100%)
    • FTA-abs (fluorescence test) is a specific syphilis test used in special cases (neurosyphilis, suspicion of neonatal syphilis) as it detects also IgM antibodies.
  • Nucleic acid detection methods are not in routine use.

Treatment Antibiotics for Syphilis during Pregnancy, Penicillin and Ceftriaxone for Early Syphilis

Follow-up and identification of partners

  • After antimicrobial therapy the cardiolipin test is performed at 1, 3 and 6 months, and if necessary at 12 months. In primary stage infection, the cardiolipin becomes negative in most cases, in other recent infections the titre falls by at least two dilutions when the treatment has been successful.
  • All sexual partners who have been exposed to infection should be screened with the Treponema pallidum antibody test. If the result is negative, the test should be repeated after 2-3 months.
  • The infection is reported to the health authorities according to the local regulations.

References

  • Janier M, Unemo M, Dupin N ym. 2020 European guideline on the management of syphilis. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2021;35(3):574-588. [PubMed]

Evidence Summaries