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Syphilis definitions

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  • Treponema pallidum
    A gram-negative spirochete with corkscrew motility, responsible for rapid tissue invasion and antigenic variation.
  • Spirochete
    A bacterium with a spiral or corkscrew shape, enabling movement through viscous environments like host tissues.
  • Chancre
    A small, painless, hard lesion at the infection site, containing highly contagious fluids during the primary stage.
  • Congenital syphilis
    A condition resulting from placental transmission of infection from mother to fetus, causing severe fetal effects.
  • Primary stage
    The initial phase marked by a painless lesion, often unnoticed, lasting a few weeks at the infection site.
  • Secondary stage
    A phase featuring infectious rashes, mouth sores, fever, malaise, and sometimes patchy hair loss, occurring weeks after initial infection.
  • Latent stage
    A prolonged asymptomatic period, often lasting years, during which the infection is typically not contagious.
  • Tertiary stage
    A late phase involving immune-mediated damage, with symptoms like gummas, neurosyphilis, and cardiovascular complications.
  • Gumma
    A rubbery lesion characteristic of late infection, often affecting skin and bones, resulting from chronic inflammation.
  • Neurosyphilis
    A complication involving the nervous system, potentially causing blindness, paralysis, or dementia in advanced infection.
  • Non-treponemal antibody test
    A diagnostic assay detecting antibodies indicative of tissue damage, not specific to the causative bacterium.
  • Treponemal antibody test
    A diagnostic assay identifying antibodies directed specifically against the causative spirochete.
  • Penicillin G
    An injectable antibiotic used to clear infection at any stage, though unable to reverse established tissue damage.
  • Antigenic variation
    A mechanism allowing alteration of surface antigens, helping evade immune detection and prolong infection.