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Treponema pallidum

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Kingdom: Bacteria
• Phylum: Spirochetes
• Class: Spirochaetes
• Order: Spirochaetales
• Family: Spirochaetacecae
• Genus: Treponema
-Treponema is one of the 3 genera of the Phylum Spirochetes.
-The spirochetes are classified in the Phylum Spirochetes

These bacteria are distinguished by their shape and mode of movement (locomotion).

Their periplasmic flagella enables movement of the slender twisted cells.

Spirochetes are bacteria with gram-negative cell wall structure.

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Are  members of the Genus Treponema.

These pathogens are strict parasites with complex growth requirements.

Treponemes are thin, coiled bacteria.  They live in the oral cavity, intestinal tract, and perigenital regions of animal and humans.

Diseases that are cause by Treponema are called treponematoses.

The subspecies Treponema pallidum pallidum

is responsible for congenital and venereal syphilis.

is an extremely fastidious and sensitive bacterium that cannot survive long outside of its host.

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Humans are the only host of Treponema pallidum.

(infection can be induced in laboratory animals)

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Treponema pallidum:

Thin, gram- negative spirochetes

Treponema pallidum is often invisible in a Gram stain due to its slender nature.

DNA probes and immunofluorescent staining can be used to detect the pathogen.

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The infection of Treponema pallidum causes syphilis.

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease.

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Disease Caused by the Pathogen, Treponema pallidum, in Humans:

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Disease Caused by the Pathogen, Treponema pallidum, in Humans:

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Syphilis

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Wet mounts of fluid taken from syphilitic lesions may be examined with a dark-field microscopy for motile spirochetes.

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Syphilis is known as,
“The Great Pretender,”because its symptoms can look like many other diseases.

BUT:

syphilis usually follows a progression of stages that can last for weeks, months, or even years.

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The earliest indication of syphilis infection is the appearance of a hard chancre.

Chancre- an injurious sore.

Chancre arises at the site of inoculation, after an incubation period from 9 days to 3 months.

Most chancres appear on the internal and external genitalia.
20% occur on the lips, nipples, fingers, or around the anus.

The genital lesions tend to be painless.

Chancre heals without scarring in 3-6 weeks.

Healing is deceptive, the spirochete is entering another stage of systemic activity.

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This stage appears 3 weeks - 6 months after the chancre heals.

Many systems of the body have been invaded by this time.

Signs and symptoms are more abundant and have intensified.

New symptoms include; fever, headache, sore throat,  lymphadenopathy, and a red or brown rash occurs on all skin surfaces.

The skin rash does not hurt or itch and can last for months.

Complications of secondary syphilis - can occur in the bones, hair follicles, joints, eyes, liver, and brain and remain for years.

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Secondary Syphilis: Generalized Body Rash

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Secondary Syphilis: Generalized Body Rash

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The later stages of syphilis symptoms that occur 6 months- 20 years.

Latency- 6 months to 8 or more years.
Tertiary-  variable up to 20 years

About 30 % of infections enter a highly varied latency period that can last 20 years or longer.

The Following symptoms can occur in
this stage of syphilis:

Swollen tumors called gummas develop in the tissues including; skin, bone, cartilage, and liver. The tumors are usually benign, occasionally lead to death, but can impair function.

Neural and cardiovascular complications .

Areas of destruction of the spinal cord can lead to muscle wasting, loss of activity and loss of coordination.

Severe headaches, convulsions, mental derangements, atrophy of the optic nerve, blindness, and Argyll-Robertson pupil reaction.

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Penicillin G is the choice of treatment in all stages and forms of syphilis.

It is given in large doses with benzathine or procaine to maintain a blood level lethal to treponeme for at least 7 days.

Alternative drugs tetracycline and doxycycline are less effective treatments for syphilis and only given if the infected has a documented penicillin allergy.

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Use of latex condoms reduces the chance of infection.
However, it does not eliminate the chance infection because Treponema pallidum may infect sites that are not normally protected by a condom.
Control of syphilis relies on the detection and treatment

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Humans can become infected in the following ways:

Syphilis can be transmitted from person to person by direct contact with a syphilitic sore, known as a chancre.

Transmitted sexually from infected partner.

Passed from infected mother to fetus in utero (Congenital Syphilis ).

Very rare ways to become infected: blood transfusion or exposure to fomites.

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This occurs when :
Treponema pallidum passes from a preganant woman's circulation into the placenta and is carried throughout the fetal tissues.