The Origins Of Syphilis Disease

Syphilis is a disease that dates back to early times. The actual location that it originated is still debated. The main hypothesis about the origin of syphilis are recorded around the time that Christopher Columbus made his voyage to the New World and is referred to as the “Colombian theory.” This theory describes the disease as being brought back to Europe when his crews were returning back from America in 1492. It was shortly after this time that the first epidemic of syphilis was recorded in Naples. “In 1495 an epidemic of a new and terrible disease broke out among the soldiers of Charles VIII of France when he invaded Naples in the first of the Italian Wars, and its subsequent impact on the peoples of Europe was devastating – this was syphilis,
Within the past few years, new cases of syphilis have been on the rise, especially among gay males. “During 2014, there were 63,450 reported new cases of syphilis, compared to 47,352 estimated new diagnoses of HIV infection in 2013 and 350,062 cases of gonorrhea in 2014.1, 2 Of syphilis cases, 19.999 were of primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis, the earliest and most transmissible stages of syphilis. During the 1990s, syphilis primarily occurred among heterosexual men and women of racial and ethnic minority groups; during the 2000s, however, cases increased among men who have sex with men (MSM).3 In 2014, MSM accounted for 83% of all P&S syphilis cases among males in which sex of sex partner was known.” (2). Currently, an untreated case of syphilis has a mortality rate between 8-58%, with males having a higher rate of death then that of
However, syphilis typically follows a progression of stages that can last for weeks, months, or even years” (2). Once direct contact occurs and a person is then infected, syphilis progresses through four distinct stages. Each stage can last for several years, and have a wide variety of symptoms throughout each stage. The first stage is known as the primary stage. In the primary stage, the only symptom noted is a single small, painless sore or chancre that appears between 10 days and 3 weeks after initial infection. The chancre usually heals within a month, regardless of whether the infected person receives treatment or not. If the bacteria is left untreated, it enters the bloodstream, progressing to the secondary stage. Secondary syphilis presents as a nonitchy rash that is either localized (affecting one area) or systemic (affecting multiple areas), approximately two to eight weeks after the primary stage. Another common symptom during the secondary stage are rough reddish brown spots on the palms of the hands, and the soles of the feet. Mucous membrane lesions located in the mouth, vagina, and anus are also sypmtoms that mark the secondary stage. These mucous membrane lesions are known as condyloma lata. Condyloma lata, are large, raised, gray or white lesions, that may develop in warm moist areas of the groin, underarms, or mouth. In addition to the rashes and lesions, an