What is syphilis?

Syphilis, also known as lues, is a disease caused by the bacteria Treponema pallidum. Before the discovery of penicillin, syphilis was a fatal disease. Today the use of antibiotics can cure the disease completely. Patients with primary syphilis show a single and painless wound in the skin, sometimes known as chancre, in the region where the treponema has penetrated; the chancre is highly infective. Syphilis is one of the major STDs, sexually transmitted diseases. Normally the chancre develops in the penis, vagina, anus, hands or mouth, and the bacteria is often transmitted by sexual contact. Later syphilis develops into systemic diseases, secondary and tertiary syphilis.