What is the incubation period of syphilis? This question is not often asked. But let's look into it in more detail.
Syphilis is a disease that is triggered by the treponema bacterium. It is one of the most common and serious diseases of venereological origin. Mention of syphilis can be found even in fiction. The disease is very dangerous and contagious, even during the incubation period.
It is very important to identify the presence of syphilis in time. The incubation period should also be considered in order to prescribe timely treatment.
Syphilis infection
Regardless of their condition, an infected person is dangerous to others. During the incubation period, syphilis is just as dangerous as with the manifestation of the disease. Treponema can enter the patient through damage to the skin, mucous membranes, as well as through the blood. This condition is dangerous in that often a person may not be aware of the disease and infect others. How long the incubation period of syphilis lasts is interesting to many.
Sex
The most common transmission option is through sexual contact. The vast majority of patients with this diagnosis become infected in this way. Infection can occur during oral, vaginal, and anal sex. Of particular danger is unprotected intercourse, that is, without the use of a condom. In medical practice, cases of infection through kisses and bites have been reported. Is syphilis contagious during the incubation period? Of course.
Risk group
The main risk group is people who have a promiscuous sex life. Household infection occurs in only one out of a hundred patients. The causative agent of the disease very quickly dies outside the body of the carrier. This happens in a maximum of five hours. However, infection can occur when using other people's personal hygiene items, dishes, while visiting a bathhouse or pool. If a patient is transfused with syphilis-infected blood, he will also become infected with treponema. The same applies to the use of insufficiently well-sterilized instruments in various medical procedures.
For drug addicts, infection can occur as a result of using a single syringe. If bacteria enter the bloodstream directly, then the picture of the course of the disease will flow in a different way. There is also the so-called vertical pathway when a disease is transmitted from an infected mother to a child. This can occur both during gestation and during breastfeeding. The congenital form of syphilis is very dangerous and in this case it is necessary to take the necessary measures for recovery in a timely manner.
The incubation period of syphilis
The incubation period is the period of time that elapses between the ingestion of a harmful microorganism and the manifestation of the first signs of the disease. The duration of the incubation period for syphilis can be different. On average, it lasts about three weeks, but there are cases when this period can reach ten days, 2 or 4 months. At this time, pale treponema actively multiplies in the soft tissues, while spreading throughout the body through lymph and blood flow. The duration of the incubation period of syphilis is influenced by various factors that are independent of the sex of the infected person. Depending on the course of the disease, it proceeds more slowly or accelerates on the contrary.
Prolongation
The incubation period of syphilis can be prolonged if the patient took antibiotic drugs during and after infection. For example, a patient underwent treatment for influenza or SARS, taking antibacterial drugs that inhibit the reproduction of pale treponema in the body. However, in this case, the disease is just masked and after a while will manifest itself. To completely suppress the activity of treponema, potent antibiotics in large doses are needed. Taking conventional broad-spectrum antibacterial drugs will only extend the incubation period of syphilis. Therefore, treatment should be carried out by a doctor.
Also, the prolongation of the incubation period of syphilis in men and women occurs if the patient has autoimmune diseases in a chronic form. In this case, the body reacts late to the pathogen. The elderly patient is also a factor prolonging the incubation period of treponema reproduction.
Shorter incubation times
In addition, there are factors that can shorten the incubation period of a microorganism. Among them:
- With secondary infection, when the patient is re-infected with syphilis.
- The presence in the history of other diseases of venereological origin.
- Several foci of infection with pale treponema.
A person is contagious throughout the incubation period of treponema, regardless of its duration. For this reason, in identifying such a diagnosis, the patient should notify his sexual partner about this.
What is the danger?
The danger of the incubation period is the absence of symptoms. The patient himself may not know that he has become infected. In medical practice, there are cases where when in contact with a sick person is not infected. However, these cases are single and cannot be explained by science.
In case of unprotected sexual intercourse or suspicion of contact with an infected person, you should immediately contact a specialist - venereologist, and undergo all necessary examinations. Even in the incubation period, you can diagnose the disease, and therefore begin timely therapy. In this case, syphilis does not have time to take a severe form, which means there are more chances for recovery.
Consider the symptoms of syphilis during the incubation period.
Stages and Symptoms
Syphilis goes through several stages of development, each of which is characterized by certain manifestations:
- Primary stage. It lasts up to seven weeks. At this stage, a solid chancre is formed, that is, characteristic ulcers that appear in the affected treponema places. Neoplasms have a round shape, their size reaches two centimeters, does not cause pain and does not bleed. Lymph nodes are enlarged. Sometimes the patient may not even pay attention to these signs of the disease.
- Secondary stage. It lasts up to four years. The solid chancre resolves, leaving behind a scar. The main sign of syphilis at this stage of the disease is a rash. They occur on the body, namely on the shoulders, back, stomach and chest, and sometimes can appear on the palms and feet. The hue of the rashes is initially maroon, then it brightens and turns pink. In addition, the patient has an elevated body temperature, sore throat and fatigue. Hair also falls out severely. This stage can be quite short, after which the disease passes into the latent period. However, even with the disappearance of symptoms, the patient remains contagious.
- The third stage goes on for life. At this stage of its development, damage to the internal organs occurs. The patient’s nervous system also suffers. On the internal organs and the skin, characteristic gum forms are formed, presented in the form of tubercles and nodes. Strong changes undergo the patient's appearance, as well as his psyche.
There are also cases of atypical course, when the disease goes away without the formation of a solid chancre. This is the so-called mute and headless form of syphilis. Most often this occurs when treponema directly enters the bloodstream.
Diagnostics
In case of doubtful sexual contact, you should seriously take the situation and undergo an examination. A visit to the doctor is all the more necessary if syphilis was detected in a sexual partner. However, not every person admits such a diagnosis, so it is better to play it safe yourself.
ELISA is often prescribed for syphilis during the incubation period. None of the diagnostic methods gives an absolute result. Therefore, several types of tests should be taken to clarify the diagnosis. Only in the aggregate of several research results can we talk about the disease.
During the incubation period, you can take an analysis for polymerase chain reactions (PCR). It allows you to detect the presence of treponema DNA in semen, blood and vaginal secretions. In addition, the specialist prescribes other types of studies that also need to be passed, for example, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, cardiac test, etc.
The best option is to examine before the onset of the first symptoms. If there are signs of syphilis, a trip to the venereologist should not be postponed. The disappearance of the first signs after their manifestation is not a sign of eliminating the disease. This only indicates the transition of the disease to a latent state.
Differential diagnosis
It is also important to conduct differential diagnosis of syphilis in order to distinguish it from other sexually transmitted diseases. Treatment involves the use of several drugs, namely antibiotics, probiotic drugs to maintain intestinal microflora, as well as immunomodulators and vitamins.
Treatment
Antibacterial drugs are prescribed from the penicillin group. As a rule, therapy is carried out at home. Hospitalization may be required in the third stage of syphilis, as well as in childhood, pregnant women and the elderly. Penicillin intolerance is also a reason for hospitalization.
During the treatment of syphilis, sexual intercourse, the use of alcoholic beverages, smoking and drugs are prohibited. The duration of treatment is at least two weeks. With a severe form of the course, therapy can last up to several years. The concentration of antibiotics should be maintained at a high level throughout the treatment period. Sexual partners should also be treated. It is mandatory regardless of at what stage syphilis was detected.
Now we know how long the incubation period of syphilis lasts.