Syphilis

Dr. Michael Gelfand, Chief of Infectious Diseases at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, discusses the spectrum of Syphilis disease, one of the great mimickers and historical scourges of human kind. Syphilis cases are also seeing a resurgence in recent years, especially in high U.S. prevalence areas such as the midwest, northeast, and south. Syphilis rates are also increasing across the globe in places such as Europe, Russia, and China. Dr. Gelfand begins his talk by discussing the historical origins of Syphilis, including that Treponema pallidum may have been brought back to Europe from the new world by returning explorers. He then provides more information on the epidemiology of Syphilis. Next, Dr. Gelfand talks about the natural progression of Syphilis, from primary disease to its secondary and tertiary forms. The clinical manifestations of syphilis disease are then described. Dr. Gelfand then describes the conundrum of Syphilis testing. Lastly, Dr. Gelfand focuses on tertiary forms of Syphilis, including neurosyphilis. The treatment of various forms of Syphilis is also discussed. From a grand rounds lecture originally recorded on April 14, 2022.