What is syphilis?
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum.
The hallmark symptom of syphilis, typically seen in the initial stage, is a painless ulcer, known as a chancre, predominantly appearing in the genital region. The most significant risk of transmission comes from individuals in the primary or secondary stages of the disease, particularly when active lesions are present on their sexual organs.
Before showing the pictures, here’s a succinct overview of the three distinct stages of syphilis.
Stages of Syphilis
The initial or primary stage of syphilis is perhaps the most recognizable, marked by the presence of a genital sore, known as a chancre. This lesion, persisting for 3 to 6 weeks, may resolve itself without any intervention, which can misleadingly suggest self-resolution of the disease.
Following the disappearance of the chancre, after a period of weeks or months, syphilis reemerges in its secondary stage. This phase may present with skin lesions and mucous membrane involvement. If untreated, these symptoms may temporarily subside, only to resurface years later in the form of tertiary syphilis. This is the most severe stage of the disease, posing a high risk of producing disfiguring lesions.
The photo gallery below offers a visual journey through the primary, secondary, and tertiary stages of syphilis. The highly disfiguring lesions of tertiary syphilis displayed are infrequent in today’s medical landscape due to timely and effective treatments. However, such manifestations were relatively common in the era preceding antibiotics.
If you want to read more about syphilis, we recommend the following article: Syphilis: Symptoms, Tests, Transmission, Treatment, and Cure.
Caution: The following gallery contains graphic images depicting the primary, secondary, and tertiary stages of syphilis. These images consist of visually intense and disfiguring lesions or representations of sexual organs. We encourage discretion and recommend that you refrain from accessing this gallery if your current environment is not conducive to the viewing of such content.
Images and photos
Primary syphilis – Syphilitic chancre
Secondary syphilis
Photos of the syphilis rashes on the soles, palms, body, and oral cavity.
Tertiary syphilis – Syphilitic Gumma
Credits
- Shutterstock.com
- Multiple skin ulcers from malignant syphilis – The Lancet
- Secondary Syphilis in Cali, Colombia: New Concepts in Disease Pathogenesis – Scientific Figure on ResearchGate. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Palmar-and-plantar-rash-of-secondary-syphilis-Typical-palmar-and-plantar-rash-of_fig8_44630365 [accessed 26 Apr, 2023]
- Morais, Lima & Melo, Thayná & Kitakawa, Dárcio & Da, Felipe & Peralta, Felipe & Gonzales, Sabrina & Carvalho, Luis Felipe & Carvalho, Silva. (2022). Secondary syphilis in oral cavity: Case report and literature review. International Journal of Case Reports and Images. 13. 226-229. 10.5348/101366Z01TM2022CR.
- Tertiary syphilitic ulceration of the scalp – St Bartholomew’s Hospital Archives & Museum.
- An Alaskan Inuit skull, showing the effects of syphilis. Photograph by Ales Hrdlicka, ca. 1910.
- A man suffering from syphilis, displaying pustular syphiloderm lesions on his scalp and torso. Process print after a photograph, ca. 1905.
- Face of a woman with a typical ‘syphilitic nose’. Picture: St Bartholomew’s Hospital Archives & Museum.
Author(s)
Pedro Pinheiro holds a medical degree from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and is a specialist in Internal Medicine and Nephrology, certified by the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) and the Brazilian Society of Nephrology (SBN). He is currently based in Lisbon, Portugal, with his credentials recognized by the University of Porto and the Portuguese Nephrology Specialty College.
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