Sexually Transmitted Diseases Panel

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD), caused by the bacteria Treponema pallidum. It is most commonly spread by sexual route (through contact with syphilis sore (Chancre)). Syphilis is easily treatable with antibiotics. However, it can cause severe health problems if left untreated and can be potentially fatal. Maternal transfer to unborn child through an infected mother can cause serious and potentially fatal consequences for the baby.

There are several stages of syphilis:

·       Primary syphilis: Primary stage starts 2-3 weeks after being infected. It usually appears as one or more painless chancres on the sexual partner's chancre exposed body parts such as on the penis or vagina. Since it is painless, it may go unnoticed, especially if it is in the rectum or on the cervix. It usually disappears within 4-6 weeks even without any treatment.

·       Secondary syphilis: Primary syphilis can progress to secondary syphilis if the infected person is left untreated. The symptoms generally develop from 6 weeks to 6 months after the chancre first appears. It is mainly observed as non-itchy skin rash (rough, red, and spotted), appearing typically on the palms of the hands and the bottoms of the feet. Other associated symptoms could be fever, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, and body aches.

·       Late or tertiary syphilis: Secondary syphilis can progress to late or tertiary stage if it is further left untreated. In this, an infected person may remain without any symptoms (asymptomatic) but continues to have the infection and can last for years. There are various complications associated with tertiary syphilis which can occur if still left untreated such as the bacteria can damage the heart, eyes, brain, central nervous system (Neurosyphilis), bones, joints, or almost any other part of the body. Tertiary syphilis can last for years, with the final stage leading to mental illness, blindness, other neurological problems, heart disease, and death.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). HIV Virus is of two types: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is found in AIDS patients, AIDS-related complex patients, and those persons who are at high risk of getting affected by AIDS. HIV virus can be transmitted by sexual contact, exposure to blood or blood products of AIDS-infected patients, or transfer of infection from AIDS-infected mother to the fetus. Most of the cases of HIV-2 infected patients are seen in West Africa, and it is detected in patients who had sexual contact with people of that geographic region. These viruses have the same morphology, overall genomic structure, and ability to cause infection. 

When the patient gets infected with the virus, the virus attacks the immune system called CD4 and combines with antibodies to use them for making a large number of copies inside the body of the patient by replication. During the first few weeks of infection, the amount of virus present and the level of p24 antigen in the blood becomes very high. After another 2-8 weeks, these increased levels start to fall as the body of the infected patient starts producing antibodies against the antigen of the virus. At this time, the HIV virus antibody can be detected in the patient’s blood via tests. The tests should be performed at this brief time because after some time both the levels of antigen and antibody in the blood falls. This will make the detection of virus infection difficult as the initial infection may have been resolved and you may not get a positive result against the infection.

The HIV antibody tests do not detect an HIV infection soon after exposure, before the development of antibodies. Most people produce detectable levels of antibody 3 to 12 weeks after exposure. If someone is screened with an HIV antibody test too soon, the result may be negative despite the fact that the person is infected. For those who are at increased risk of HIV infection, it is important to get this screening test done frequently to check for possible exposure to the virus.

This test is done by ELISA method which is also known as EIA for Enzyme Immunoassay. This test is done to analyze certain proteins which are produced by the body in response to HIV infection. 

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the bacteria Treponema pallidum. It is most commonly spread by sexual route for example through contact with a syphilitic sore (Chancre). Syphilis is treatable with antibiotics, but it can cause severe health problems if left untreated and can be potentially fatal. It can be transferred from an infected pregnant mother to an unborn child which can lead to serious and potentially fatal consequences for the baby.

There are several stages of syphilis:

·       Primary syphilis: Primary stage starts after 2-3 weeks of being infected and usually presents with one or more painless chancres on that part of the body which was exposed to the sexual partner's chancre such as on the penis or vagina. Since it is painless, it may go unnoticed, especially if it is in the rectum or on the cervix. It usually disappears within 4-6 weeks even without any treatment.

·       Secondary syphilis: From 6 weeks to 6 months after the chancre first appears, primary syphilis can progress to secondary syphilis if the infected person is left untreated. Its symptom is non-itchy skin rash (rough, red, and spotted) appearing typically on the palms of the hands and the bottoms of the feet. Other symptoms could be fever, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, and body aches.

·       Late or tertiary syphilis: If left untreated in previous stages, secondary syphilis can progress to late or tertiary stage in which an infected person may be asymptomatic but continues to have the infection, and this stage can last for years. Complications of tertiary syphilis can occur if still left untreated. The bacteria can damage the heart, eyes, brain, central nervous system (Neurosyphilis), bones, joints, or almost any other part of the body. Tertiary syphilis can last for years and the final stage can lead to mental illness, blindness, other neurological problems, heart disease, and even death.