Abstract
Syphilis is a fascinating and perplexing infection, with protean clinical manifestations and both diagnostic and management ambiguities. Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum, the agent of syphilis, is challenging to study in part because it cannot be cultured or genetically manipulated. Here, we review recent progress in the application of modern molecular techniques to understanding the biological basis of this multistage disease and to the development of new tools for diagnosis, for predicting efficacy of treatment with alternative antibiotics, and for studying the transmission of infection through population networks.
Publication types
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Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
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Review
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
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Antibodies, Bacterial / biosynthesis
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Antibodies, Bacterial / blood
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Bacterial Typing Techniques
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Bacterial Vaccines
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Comorbidity
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Drug Resistance, Microbial
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Female
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Global Health
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HIV Infections / epidemiology
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HIV Infections / transmission
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Host-Pathogen Interactions
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Humans
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Male
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Morbidity / trends
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Penicillins / therapeutic use
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Rabbits
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Syphilis / diagnosis
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Syphilis / drug therapy
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Syphilis / epidemiology
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Syphilis / prevention & control*
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Syphilis / transmission
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Syphilis Serodiagnosis
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Treponema pallidum / classification
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Treponema pallidum / genetics
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Treponema pallidum / immunology
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Treponema pallidum / physiology
Substances
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Anti-Bacterial Agents
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Antibodies, Bacterial
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Bacterial Vaccines
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Penicillins