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Can Syphilis Be Eradicated From the U.S.?

© Neal Rolfe Chamberlain

Syphilis is one of those sexually transmitted diseases people don't like to talk about. It is caused by a bacterium called Treponema pallidum. It has been causing disease for hundreds of years. Once a person is infected they will remain infected for the rest of their lives if not treated with antibiotics. If untreated, patients can have heart and bone problems, develop mental problems, and/or become blind. Fortunately, this bacterium has not developed resistance to antibiotics and can be easily treated. The sad part is that people who need treatment the most in the U.S. (poor, urban dwellers) are the least likely to have good medical care.

An article in Science (July 17, 1998) titled "Elimination of Syphilis in the United States" increases hopes that this disease may be on its way to elimination. The rate of new cases of syphilis in the U.S. has declined by 84 percent from 1990 to 1997 and the incidence is at an all time low of 3.2 cases per 100,000 people (MMWR, June 26, 1998).

Another great bit of news is that 50 percent of cases of syphilis are in 31 counties in the U.S. The map below shows the counties of the U.S. with the highest number of cases per 100,000 people. As you can see, most of the cases are in the southern part of the country.

Syphilis is a disease that at this time in the U.S. could, like smallpox, be eliminated from the world. The bacterium only causes disease in humans. The time from infection to syphilitic skin sore development (incubation period) is usually several weeks. If sexual partner(s) are treated early before skin sores develop, then the disease won't spread any further. A person with syphilis is only infectious for about a year and an infectious person can be cured with one dose of antibiotic. Lastly, this bacterium has yet to become resistant to antibiotics, and treatment can cure infected people. Syphilis could be eliminated from the world but it must start one country at a time. Maybe this is the time for the U.S.

For more information go to:

1. CDC's Syphilis Facts page
2. New York State Department of Health Communicable Disease Fact Sheet on Syphilis
3. MMWR, June 26, 1998 report on the incidence of syphilis in the U.S. (to get the entire report you will need acrobat reader)

Take Care and Think Microbiologically!

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