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The cause of syphilis is a bacterium called Treponema pallidum. The most common way syphilis is spread is through contact with an infected person's sore during sexual activity. The bacteria enter the body through minor cuts or abrasions in the skin or mucous membranes. Syphilis is contagious during its primary and secondary stages, and sometimes in the early latent period.
Less commonly, syphilis may spread through direct contact with an active lesion, such as during kissing. It can also be passed from mothers to their babies during pregnancy or childbirth.
Syphilis can't be spread by using the same toilet, bathtub, clothing or eating utensils, or from doorknobs, swimming pools or hot tubs.
Once cured, syphilis doesn't return on its own. However, you can become reinfected if you have contact with someone's syphilis sore.
About 15% to 30% of people infected with syphilis who don't get treatment will develop complications known as tertiary syphilis. In the late stage, the disease may damage the brain, nerves, eyes, heart, blood vessels, liver, bones and joints. These problems may occur many years after the original, untreated infection.

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Syphilis is a bacterial infection usually spread by sexual contact. The disease starts as a painless sore — typically on the genitals, rectum or mouth. Syphilis spreads from person to person via skin or mucous membrane contact with these sores.
After the initial infection, the syphilis bacteria can remain inactive in the body for decades before becoming active again. Early syphilis can be cured, sometimes with a single shot (injection) of penicillin.
Without treatment, syphilis can severely damage the heart, brain or other organs, and can be life-threatening. Syphilis can also be passed from mothers to unborn children.

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STD prevention methods include:

Abstinence

Condom Use

Having Fewer Sex Partners

Mutual Monogamy

Vaccination

Abstinence means abstaining or not having sex at all. If you are having sex, condoms should be used to prevent STDs as much as possible.

Other ways to prevent STDs, if you do have sex, include reducing the number of sexual partners you have. The fewer partners you have, the less likely you are to contract a disease.

Mutual monogamy, or to have sex with only one partner, can also be effective if both partners get tested and know that they are not infected.

Vaccinations for some STDs are also available. Vaccines are safe, effective and recommended to prevent hepatitis B and HPV. The HPV vaccine is approved for both females and males.

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Syphilis is treated with antibiotics and penicillin. When diagnosed early 90 - 100% of people see success from treatment. A single injection of long-acting Benzathine penicillin G can cure the early stages of syphilis. Ceftriaxone is also as effective as penicillin. This can kill the organism that causes syphilis.

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Babies born to women with untreated syphilis may be stillborn, or die from the infection as a newborn.

For babies born with CS, CS can cause:

Deformed bones,

Severe anemia (low blood count),

Enlarged liver and spleen,

Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes),

Brain and nerve problems, like blindness or deafness,

Meningitis, and

Skin rashes.