Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by Treonema pallidum, a gram negative bacterium, and anaerobic spirochetal bacteria 1. Syphilis is thought to have been brought to Europe by Columbus and his its sailors in 1500 1. The disease is characterized by four different stages with different symptoms depending on the stage in which the disease is found1. Syphilis often occurs with another sexually transmitted infection such as chlamydia. Public education about safe sex is important for the prevention of this sexually transmitted infection. pallidum is highly sensitive to oxygen and has a reduced ability to survive when not in human body temperature environments. 1. The mode of transmission is through sexual contact or vertical transmission from mother to fetus. T. pallidum lacks lipopolysaccharide which is the endotoxin normally present in gram negative bacteria1. The bacterium produces many lipoproteins that are thought to stimulate inflammatory mediators through recognition of toll-like receptors1. T. pallidum has a virulence factor that makes it highly motile due to its ability to propel itself forward by rotating on a longitudinal axis1. Spirochetes easily penetrate the skin or mucous membranes and spread to the lymph nodes and then into the blood circulation, affecting many parts of the body1. The primary stage of the infection is characterized by a cancer that presents as an ulcer in the anogenital area with an incubation period of ninety days2. A chancer is a painless ulceration that forms where the original spirochete penetrates the broken skin or mucous membranes3. Lesions can also appear on the lips, tongue, tonsils and nipples2. During the incubation period T. pallidum may......middle of paper......allergic to penicillin3. All individuals with a positive laboratory result for syphilis and sexual partners of infected persons are treated3. To reduce the incidence of syphilis, safe sex education, public awareness and monitoring of partners of infected people are implemented. A patient with syphilis should be taught to avoid sexual contact until antibiotic therapy is finished to prevent transmission of the infection to others. 4. Patients should also be taught the importance of notifying all previous sexual partners so they can be tested and treated. if necessary4. It may be embarrassing for the infected individual, but the healthcare provider should emphasize the importance of disclosing the information to one's sexual partners. All cases of syphilis must be reported to public health authorities4.