Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are
four stages of the disease: primary, secondary, latent, and
tertiary. Primary syphilis is the first stage of the disease. It
causes one or more small, painless sores in or around the
genitals, anus, or mouth. If you do not get treatment for the
primary stage of the disease, it will progress to the second
stage, which is secondary syphilis. If you are not treated for
secondary syphilis, the disease will progress to the latent
stage and may progress to the tertiary stage. The secondary
stage of syphilis is curable with medical treatment. It is
important to get treatment to prevent the tertiary stage of the
disease, which may not be curable, and can cause damage to your
organs, as well as dementia (memory loss), paralysis, or death.
Syphilis is caused by a spirochete (a spiral-shaped bacteria)
called Treponema pallidum. You can get the bacteria in the
following ways: - direct contact with a syphilis sore (usually
found on the vagina, anus, rectum, in