Syphilis is a bacterial infection, usually considered a sexually transmitted disease. Transmitted through personal contact, it usually first appears in the genitals or on other parts of the body that have had contact with an infected person.

Syphilis can be successfully treated with antibiotics. However, if left untreated, a syphilis infection can eventually infect the heart, brain and central nervous system.

Syphilis occurs in three stages: primary, secondary and tertiary. Primary syphilis is the initial infection. It often appears as a single, non-painful ulcer or sore on the genitals. Secondary syphilis may appear weeks later with a variety of symptoms, including rashes, wart-like areas, swollen lymph nodes and hair loss.

For both primary and secondary syphilis, symptoms can disappear without treatment. It is important to note, however, that people are still infected and can transmit the disease at this time. Not every person at these stages of infection progress to the tertiary stage. After the secondary stage, syphilis enters a latent period, which may last for years or decades. In addition, treatment at the primary or secondary stage of infection prevents the progression of the disease.

Tertiary syphilis, when it appears, includes symptoms that affect many body systems and can lead to dementia (loss of mental functioning) and death. Treatment at this stage can stop the infection, but cannot reverse damage to the organs.

Various physical evaluations, tissue samples and blood tests are used to diagnose syphilis and rule out other conditions. Once the disease is diagnosed and the stage of the disease is determined, syphilis is treated and cured with antibiotics. The risk of contracting syphilis can be reduced by using safe sex practices, such as using latex condoms and avoiding sexual contact with multiple sex partners or high-risk sex partners.

Although it is still a serious health risk, the advent of antibiotics has made syphilis a much less devastating disease than it has been in the past.