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Syphilis
Syphilis
is an infection caused by a spirochete, a nasty little bacteria
that is shaped like a corkscrew. Only rather than popping
open a bottle of Bollinger RD 1985, this bugger pops open
your skin like a Miller High Life beef bong. And the hard
truth about Syphilis is that you can get it without even having
sex.
What
is it?
Syphilis dates back to prehistoric times, and holds a prestigious
place in American history as many experts have proffered that
both Christopher Columbus (the explorer, not the filmmaker)
and General George Washington may have had it. I guess that
means if you’ve got it you’re in pretty good company.
In fact you may be less alone than you thought. In Seattle/King
County there were 140 cases of Syphilis reported in gay/bi
men in 2004. By the end of June 2005 there were already 90
cases, more than twice that of 2004. But what’s the
big deal; it’s only 100 cases, right? Considering that
in 1999 there were zero cases of Syphilis, it makes this current
rise of cases significant.
In
fact, at the onset of the 21st century we were pretty close
to eliminating Syphilis in the U.S. all together. There were
less than 50 cases in less than 40 counties in 1999. But then
there was an upsurge, primarily in gay/bi men, around 2000.
According to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) over 60% of all
new cases are in gay and bi men. Experts attribute this recent
outbreak to increased unsafe sex and party drugs like Crystal
Meth, Coke and Ecstasy. Researchers in Chicago even speculated
that over 13% of their 2004 cases were spread through oral
sex only. Basically, it’s a problem that isn’t
going to go away any time soon.
How
do you get it?
It’s passed along by contact with the Syphilis bacteria
through a small, sometimes almost invisible, painless sore,
usually through unprotected
anal or oral
sex with an infected person. Syphilis can be spread through
skin-to-skin contact.
How
do I avoid it?
By using condoms
for anal and oral sex. In addition, taking the time to discuss
STDs
with your sex partners can be a way to get the information
needed to decide whether or not to steer clear of transmission
via skin-to-skin contact.
There
are three stages to Syphilis infection:
- Primary
Stage – occurs about
90 days (on average about 2-4 weeks) after initial exposure
a. Basically, you get a big red, painless sore called a
chancre on your skin, usually at the site of infection
b. The chancre oozes a lot of bacteria-filled pus, which
makes you highly contagious at this stage
c. Chancres can hide in your ass or mouth, and since they
don’t hurt you may never notice them – you can
go through this entire stage without every knowing you are
infected
d. Eventually, the chancre will heal over and go away –
at this point the infection spreads to the rest of your
body
-
Secondary Stage – includes
fever, fatigue, joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, eye and
liver trouble, and a copper-color rash
a. The rash is usually found on the palms of your hands
and the soles of your feet, but it can also be on your torso
or other areas
b. The rash is still infectious, especially if it is “weeping,”
or pus is oozing from it
c. The rash and other symptoms will go away by themselves,
but if left untreated the infection will lead to…
-
Tertiary Syphilis – the symptoms
for this stage can show up any time between 10-20 years
after the initial infection (it will show up earlier in
HIV positive men)
a. After the Secondary Stage you are no longer contagious
b. Syphilis attacks your brain – leading to insanity
and dementia
c. Syphilis attacks your heart valves, particularly your
aorta
d. If left untreated, Tertiary Syphilis can kill you
Testing
and treatment
If you think you might have Syphilis, go to a doctor and find
out for sure. Only a person with a lot of letters after their
name can diagnose and treat your Syphilis. Sometimes Syphilis
can hide in your ass and mouth, which is why it is important
to get the blood test as part of your regular testing routine.
The
good news is that Syphilis is easy to treat. Just trot on
down to your doctor’s office and have him/her fill out
the old Rx pad for a healthy dose of penicillin. If you’re
allergic, there’s always doxycycline or tetracycline.
But just because you get rid of your Syphilis doesn’t
mean you can’t catch it again.
It
can be hard, but you should really notify any of your sex
partners that you caught Syphilis. Maybe one of them had it
and didn’t know. Maybe you’ve spread it to someone
else. They will undoubtedly want
to know about it. The best way to avoid spreading it or
catching it is to use latex or polyurethane condoms with water
or silicone-based lubes
for anal sex (or even for oral, there are some tasty flavored
condoms and lube out there nowadays). But even this won’t
keep you completely protected. Again, you can catch Syphilis
just by coming in contact with somebody’s chancre sore
or rash.
HIV
connection?
Syphilis is especially common in men
with HIV, and may be more serious in Positive guys. Everyone
with HIV should have a Syphilis test, even if they have no
symptoms, and all who test
positive and are treated should have regular follow-up
blood tests to ensure that treatment was effective. If you
have had neuro-syphilis, follow-up requires a spinal tap.
Ouch!
BACK
A
Chancre Short Story
Greg's
alarm clock went off at 7 am, as it did every weekday morning.
The loud beeping jolted him awake, and he sat upright, slightly
disoriented. It took him a moment to realize what was happening
- he rubbed his bleary eyes, and reached over to the nightstand
to switch off the alarm. He slid his legs over the side of
the bed, and his bare feet pressed onto the hard wood floors
of his bedroom. He stood up, and stumbled sleepily into the
bathroom.
The toilet
seat was up, as it almost always was, and he aimed his semi-hard
dick towards the bowl for his morning piss. That's when he
noticed it. Looking down at his penis he saw a small bump
that had never been there before. He thought perhaps it was
a cut or bruise, except that it didn't hurt at all, even when
he touched it. It was slightly reddish in color, or was that
because he had been rubbing it?
Panic
mode set in. "What the hell?" he thought. As a gay
man his mind leaped to the immediate fear that he had got
an STD. When was the last time he had sex? Was it last weekend?
No, it was two weekends ago, when he and his friend Jeremy
had gone to the baths. They normally fooled around with each
other, a casual sort of fuck buddy friendship, but that weekend
they were feeling a bit more adventurous and decided to try
something new. It had been years since Greg had gone to the
bathhouse, and Jeremy had never been before, so he thought
he would show his friend around a bit.
They had
got a room, cruised through the halls a bit, and found a guy
that they both liked. The three of them went back to the room,
and fucked around. The guy they had picked up fucked Jeremy
(with a condom) while Greg fucked him. He used a condom most
of the time, but had stuck his cock head in and out a few
times at first, to get the guy loosened up, before slipping
a rubber on to finish fucking. That's probably how it happened.
Greg was
kicking himself. He was safe about 95% of the time, but occasionally
had a lapse. He got tested on a regular basis, too, and outside
of a case of gonorrhea about 3 years ago, everything always
came back negative. He couldn't believe that he now had something.
But what was it? Syphilis…? He heard it had been making
a comeback in Seattle. Shit.
He got
in the shower, and the warm water calmed him down a bit. When
his mind stopped racing, he sorted out his thoughts and knew
what he had to do. First things first, get to the clinic and
make sure that it really is an STD after all. If it is, get
it treated. He was cursing the nameless guy from the bathhouse.
What a prick. How come he didn't say anything? Jeremy would
need to know, too.
He called
in sick to work. At Harborview, the clinician told him that
the sore was a chancre, which is indeed caused by syphilis.
Even though syphilis was typically detected through a blood
test, she easily recognized the chancre for what it was. Greg
learned that syphilis can be spread just from coming into
contact with the infected area. And since chancres are usually
painless, a lot of guys don't know that they've got them.
Greg's anger at the bathhouse stranger subsided. If the guy
had syphilis in his ass, he probably doesn't even know it.
But Greg was kicking himself again. If only he had used a
condom the entire time, this wouldn't even be an issue.
The clinician
said that syphilis could be easily treated with an antibiotic,
and she gave him a painful shot right in the ass. She also
told him that it was good that he caught it early, in the
primary stage. Secondary syphilis can cause much worse, flu-like
symptoms (including headache, joint and muscle aching, fever,
sore throat, swollen glands, and loss of appetite). In the
third stage, which can happen anywhere from 5 to 35 years
after infection, syphilis can attack the brain, spinal cord,
heart or nervous system, which could be fatal. She also suggested
he get tested for gonorrhea, chlamydia, and HIV as long as
he was in. It had only been a month since his last test, but
he figured what the hell.
After
the throat culture, ass swab, peeing in a cup, and getting
his blood drawn, Greg felt that he had been through the ringer.
He called Jeremy to let him know what had happened. Greg tried
to reassure him by telling him everything he had learned about
syphilis at the clinic. Jeremy said he would make an appointment
right away. Greg also said that Jeremy probably didn't have
much to worry about since the guy had fucked him with a condom
on the entire time.
"Yeah,
but I blew him," said Jeremy. "Can’t it be
passed orally?"
"Oh,
shit, that's right," replied Greg. "It can. Yeah,
you better get in soon. I guess that puts us out of action
for a few days, huh?"
"Yeah,
at least until the antibiotics do their thing," Jeremy
responded. "Say Greg…?
"Yeah…?"
"What
do you say we stick to only fucking with each other for awhile,
huh?"
"Sure,"
Greg smiled. "I can try that."
Greg
had always really liked Jeremy, even though he wasn't looking
for anything too serious. He just wasn't the monogamous sort.
But they had great sex, and were very compatible. And the
idea of having safe sex with a person that he knew and trusted
sounded like a good way to avoid any more of these scares.
He also thought maybe he ought to go back to the bathhouse
to see if he could find that guy and let him know what he
had…
BACK
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