1. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by a bacterium called Treponema pallidum.
True False
2. The initial infection causes an ulcer at the site of infection.
3. The bacteria do not move throughout the body.
4. There are four stages syphilis ( primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary [late]).
5. An infected person who has not been treated can not infect others during the first two stages.
6. The first two stages usually last one to two years.
7. In its late stages, untreated syphilis is not contagious, but it can cause serious heart problems, mental disorders, blindness, other neurologic problems, and death.
8. The bacterium spreads from the initial ulcer of an infected person to the skin or mucous membranes of the genital area, the mouth, or the anus of a sexual partner.
9. The bacterium can not pass through broken skin on any other parts of the body.
10. The first symptom of primary syphilis is an ulcer called a chancre.
11. The chancre can appear within 10 days to three months after exposure.
12. Generally, the chancre appears within two to six weeks.
13. The chancre never disappears, even if a person has been treated.
14. If not treated during the primary stage, about one-third of people will progress to chronic stages.
15. Secondary syphilis is often marked by a skin rash that is characterized by brown sores about the size of a penny.
16. The rash appears anywhere from three to six weeks after the chancre appears.
17. While the rash may cover the whole body or appear only in a few areas, the palms of the hands and soles of the feet are almost always never involved.
18. If untreated, syphilis may lapse into a latent stage during which the disease is no longer contagious and no symptoms are present.
19. Experts recommend that individuals who have been treated for another sexually transmitted disease, such as gonorrhea, should be tested to be sure they have not also acquired syphilis.
20. Syphilis usually is treated with penicillin, administered by injection.
21. There are not other antibiotics, however, that can be used for patients allergic to penicillin.
22. As with many other STDs, methods of prevention include using condoms during sexual intercourse.
Score =
Correct answers:
Sources(s): National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Readability: Flesch-Kincaide Grade Level: 10.1 Reading Ease: 50.1