Until the 20th century, syphilis was a lethal disease, decimating entire populations. At the end of the 15th century, for example, a massive pandemic of the great pox, a name used to distinguish syphilis from smallpox, swept through Europe and Asia, causing thousands of deaths. At that time, syphilis became recognized as a sexually transmitted disease, but it was not until 1903 that the causative organism Treponema pallidum, a spiral shaped bacterium, or spirochete- was identified. Because this spirochete can survive for only a brief time outside the body, primary syphilis is almost always contracted by means of direct sexual or oral contact with an infected person. Congenital syphilis is passed to an unborn baby by an infected woman during pregnancy. After decades of decline, syphilis is again increasing in the United States, with about 50,000 new cases reported each year since 1987. The rise is attributed to changes in sexual behavior and declining public health services
Other Causes of Syphilis Symptoms
The chancre of primary syphilis and the later rashes are easily mistaken fl” other skin disorders. Later complications of tertiary syphilis might be confused with heart disease, psychosis. nerve disorders, and Alzheimer’s disease or progressive dementia.