Primary Syphilis of the Oral Cavity, a Rare Presentation of a Re-Emerging Disease

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by microaerophilic spirochete Treponema pallidum . After contact,  T. pallidum  infiltrates the genital or oral mucosa and spreads systemically throughout the blood and lymphatic systems. Syphilis is classified into stages, with varying signs and sym...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCurēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 13; no. 4
Main Authors Bindakhil, Mohammed, Alawi, Faizan, France, Katherine, Tanaka, Takako I
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Palo Alto (CA) Cureus 20.04.2021
Subjects
Dermatology
Infectious Disease
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Summary:Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by microaerophilic spirochete Treponema pallidum . After contact,  T. pallidum  infiltrates the genital or oral mucosa and spreads systemically throughout the blood and lymphatic systems. Syphilis is classified into stages, with varying signs and symptoms associated with each stage. Primary syphilis has an incubation period of up to 90 days following the sexual transmission of T. pallidum , and is characterized by the development of chancres at the site of inoculation. Rarely, primary syphilis presents in the tongue, which can mimic many other conditions that affect the oral cavity. In this article, we discuss a rare oral manifestation of primary syphilis. 
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.14595