A Review on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Syphilis

Abstract

Syphilis is a multi-phase sexually transmitted disease through contacting with a partner infected by syphilis or from a gravida to her newborn congenitally. The reappearance of syphilis is a severe public health concern, particularly because syphilis lesions would boost the chance of acquiring and spreading human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. A dose of benzathine penicillin G (BPG) through intramuscular injection is the current treatment for syphilis, which is the optimal treatment for all stages of syphilis. Although some alternatives such as doxycycline and ceftriaxone are also evidently effective, the optimal therapy is still BPG, especially in latent syphilis and pregnancy. Because of the clinically significant azithromycin resistance, this second-line medication is no longer used routinely. Currently, macrolide resistance is the only antibiotic resistance with clinical evidence. Even though still no vaccine is published for syphilis, syphilis is a promising disease for vaccine development. The vaccine for syphilis is currently under research. This paper contained information about the pathological process, symptoms, diagnosis of syphilis, and effective treatment using antibiotics. The review also discussed future vaccine directions.