Congenital syphilis again on the scene worldwide. II. Clinical picture.

Overview

Inborn syphylis (syphilis connata, congenita) is an infectious disease arising in the developing fetus almost exclusively through transplacental transmission of the etiologic agent Treponema pallidum subsp. Pallidum from the diseased mother, i.e. from the maternal part of the placenta, into its fetal part proceeding in hematogenic dissemination. Much rarely the child is infected perinatally and exceptionally postnatally. This designation corresponds with present-day pieces of knowledge on the mode of infection of the human fetus.

The term syphilis connata is considered to be more appropriate than syphilis congenita, the latter giving a false impression of genetic transmission, but still being used in the great majority of the literature just as in other vertically transmitted infections. Symptoms of connate syphilis can be divided into prenatal (syphilis materno-foetalis) and neonatal, possibly postnatal.

Connate syphilis is a complicated infectious affection transmitted vertically, the resulting clinical picture depending on many aspects and their mutual combinations – particularly on the stage of the mother’s infection and stage of pregnancy.

Key words:
inborn syphilis – transplacental vertical transmission – clinical manifestation – early connate syphilis – late form