Syphilis

Disease development

Effects of syphilis before penicillin, 1890s.

Destruction of skull bones in tertiary syphilis.

Diagnostics

2022: During the year, 8 million people were infected with syphilis and gonorrhea in the world, 230 thousand died

The incidence of sexually transmitted infections is growing in the world. Every day syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia and trichomoniasis cause more than 1 million cases of infection. This is stated in the report of the World Health Organization, published on May 21, 2024.

In 2022, WHO member states set themselves the task of reducing the annual number of cases of syphilis infection among adults tenfold by 2030, from 7.1 million to 0.71 million. However, in 2022, the number of recorded cases of infection, on the contrary, increased by 1 million, reaching about 8 million (among people aged 15-49 years). The largest growth was recorded in the American and African regions.

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In 2022, approximately 230 thousand deaths from syphilis were registered. In addition, the authors of the study point to a sharp increase in the incidence of syphilis in pregnant women (1.1 million) and congenital syphilis (523 cases per 100 thousand newborns per year) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The findings suggest an increase in the incidence of multidrug-resistant gonorrhea. As of 2023, of the 87 countries with enhanced surveillance for antimicrobial resistance to gonococcal infections, nine countries had elevated levels (5% to 40%) of resistance to ceftriaxone, a last-line treatment for gonorrhea.

In 2022, approximately 1.2 million new cases of hepatitis B infection and almost 1 million new cases of hepatitis C infection were identified. According to estimates, the number of deaths from viral hepatitis rose from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022 - despite the availability of effective means of prevention, diagnosis and treatment. At the same time, the number of new cases of HIV infection decreased from 1.5 million in 2020 to 1.3 million in 2022.^[1]

2021: World's first combined HIV, hepatitis and syphilis tests launched in Russia

At the end of April 2021, the production of the world's first combined test for four infections began in Russia: HIV, hepatitis B and C and syphilis. Test systems called "Multiskrin" are produced by the company "Biopalitra," which is a resident of the special economic zone "St. Petersburg." Read more here.

Researches

1948: US scientists deliberately infect Guatemalan citizens with syphilis and gonorrhea

USA Barack Obama In 2010, the President deeply apologized over the phone to the President Guatemala for deliberately infecting syphilis gonorrhea and Guatemalan prisoners, mentally ill and military personnel in the 1940s - with the goal of exploring ways to treat sexually transmitted diseases with penicillin. As a result, about one and a half thousand people were injured - including prostitutes used in the experiment (and not knowing about it).

Treatment

1917: Malaria Therapy

At the beginning of the 20th century, patients were infected with malaria to cure syphilis.

Malaria causes a very high temperature that kills syphilis bacteria. But then the patients were treated for malaria. There were no antibiotics at the time and syphilis was a direct threat to life.

Malaria therapy was developed by Julius Wagner-Jauregg, who in 1917 first vaccinated malaria in patients suffering from progressive paralysis. For the development of this therapy, Wagner-Jauregg received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1927. Wagner-Jauregg also used malaria therapy to treat syphilis, neurosyphilis, multiple sclerosis, and schizophrenia.

16th century: Mercury therapy

Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible allegedly had syphilis. It was this "French disease," which in the XV-XVI centuries. in Europe caused an epidemic, was treated with mercury, sulema - "liquid silver." The development of medicine at that time was at the level of "one is healing, the other is crippling." "Mercury therapy" inevitably led to chronic poisoning - mercurialism, from which the nervous system suffers, and patients have mental agitation, anxiety, shyness, suspiciousness. These qualities, especially in the last years of his life, were distinguished by John Vasilievich. For more information on the treatment and death of the tsar, see Ivan IV the Terrible.

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