Syphilis - primary

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Male and female reproductive systems

Primary syphilis

If left untreated, the chancre typically heals spontaneously in 3-6 weeks. It may leave behind a thin, slightly depressed scar. This is the end of the primary stage. The organism continues to multiply in the body, but there is little outward evidence of disease until the appearance of the second stage.

Secondary syphilis, tertiary syphilis, and congenital syphilis are not seen as frequently in the United States as they were 20 or 30 years ago because of the availability of free, government-run sexually transmitted disease clinics, screening tests for syphilis, public education concerning STDs, and prenatal screening.

Review Date: 02/13/2006
Reviewed By: Monica Gandhi, M.D., M.P.H., Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.