Question 1

hi there, is there any way to transmit syphilis non sexually e.g. just living with people with no present lesions? thanks?

Accepted Answer

: Is there ANY way? Yes, but it would have to be very unusual and intimate contact -- for example a baby nursed by her infected mother. Non-sex-partner household members of infected persons never catch it.

Question 2

is it necessary to be sexually active to have syphilis?

Accepted Answer

Yes: Yes, unless you're an infant who got it from your mother.

Question 3

is it necessary to tell my family and friends that i was infected with syphilis? could i have transmitted the disease to them in any way (of course i mean non-sexual contact)? or friends with babies?

Accepted Answer

: Unless you had sex with them, they have no need to know and are not at risk. Women can pass syphilis to their newborn if she has untreated disease, and it might be transmitted in a blood transfusion with blood from an infected person. The germ is otherwise held inside the body and not passed as you might pass flu or a sore throat. It is called a sexually transmitted disease for that reason.

Question 4

can a syphilis chancre still be present 8 months after engaging in any type of sexual activity?

Accepted Answer

No: To my knowledge there are no  cases of a chancre still being present 4 or 5 months after infection with syphilis.

Question 5

what the chance of catching syphilis from one sexual encounter and how would the chance different if that person is at the stage where they are contagious?

Accepted Answer

Mostly very low: This depends on information about your partner. Syphilis is in resurgence, but still uncommon except in certain populations:  men who have sex with men, especially those with HIV; and in heterosexuals in some urban areas, esp. sex workers &amp; drug users. If someone with syphilis is in a non-contagious stage (such as infections more than a year in duration), by definition they cannot transmit it.

Question 6

is vdrl (qualitatie) is enough to know i donot have latent syphilis due to sexual assult in childhood?

Accepted Answer

: If you had syphilis when assaulted and not treated you would have had symptoms of syphilis.Yes VDRL is reliable

Question 7

tested week 7 of a high risk sexual encounter. can these be ruled out conclusive? all neg

hiv ag/ab with reflex 4th gen duo/chlamydia by naa test/gonococcus by naa test/trich by naa test/rpr syphilis - non reactive/hsv1&2 under 0.09 negative?

Accepted Answer

STD &amp; HIV testing: All those tests are 100% conclusive. No more testing is needed.

Question 8

can i contract syphilis without sexual intercourse or oral sex?

Accepted Answer

Essentially no.: You can theoretically contract any disease through blood transfusion, but blood supply in USA is tested for almost all transmissible diseases.

Question 9

is 5 days post sexual encounter too soon for testing for syphilis and hiv?

Accepted Answer

: Yes, 5 days is much too soon. It takes several weeks for the blood tests to become positive. However, in a very high risk situation for HIV (for example, unprotected sex with a known infected partner), preliminary testing can start with RNA PCR testing 10-14 days after exposure. But these tests are expensive and not recommended except in especially high risk situations.

Question 10

why did my blood test show i had syphilis even tho i have no symptoms and never had any sexual contact with anyone. it said i needed another blood test because it was "equivocal"

Accepted Answer

: Syphilis blood studies can be false positive, and this will need repeat studies in view of "equivocal" reading which is in actuality non-diagnostic.

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Doctor answers about:

Syphilis non sexual transmission

A member asked:

Hi there, is there any way to transmit syphilis non sexually e.g. just living with people with no present lesions? thanks?

A member asked:

Is it necessary to be sexually active to have syphilis?

A member asked:

Is it necessary to tell my family and friends that i was infected with syphilis? could i have transmitted the disease to them in any way (of course i mean non-sexual contact)? or friends with babies?

A member asked:

Can a syphilis chancre still be present 8 months after engaging in any type of sexual activity?

A member asked:

What the chance of catching syphilis from one sexual encounter and how would the chance different if that person is at the stage where they are contagious?

A member asked:

Is vdrl (qualitatie) is enough to know i donot have latent syphilis due to sexual assult in childhood?

A member asked:

Tested week 7 of a high risk sexual encounter. can these be ruled out conclusive? all neg hiv ag/ab with reflex 4th gen duo/chlamydia by naa test/gonococcus by naa test/trich by naa test/rpr syphilis - non reactive/hsv1&2 under 0.09 negative?

A member asked:

Can i contract syphilis without sexual intercourse or oral sex?

A member asked:

Is 5 days post sexual encounter too soon for testing for syphilis and hiv?

A member asked:

Why did my blood test show i had syphilis even tho i have no symptoms and never had any sexual contact with anyone. it said i needed another blood test because it was "equivocal"

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