Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. Syphilis is passed from person to person through direct contact with a syphilis sore. Sores occur mainly on the external genitals, vagina, anus, or in the rectum. Sores also can occur on the lips and in the mouth. Pregnant women with the disease can pass it to the babies they are carrying. Many people infected with syphilis do not have any symptoms for years, yet remain at risk for late complications if they are not treated. The syphilis bacterium can infect the baby of a woman during her pregnancy. Syphilis is easy to cure in its early stages. A single intramuscular injection of penicillin, an antibiotic, will cure a person who has had syphilis for less than a year. Additional doses are needed to treat someone who has had syphilis for longer than a year. For people who are allergic to penicillin, other antibiotics are available to treat syphilis. Having syphilis once does not protect a person from getting it again. Following successful treatment, people can still be susceptible to re-infection.

The surest way to avoid transmission of sexually transmitted diseases, including syphilis, is to abstain from sexual contact or to be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and is known to be uninfected.

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