From the Research
After treatment for syphilis, a person typically remains infectious for about 24-48 hours after receiving appropriate antibiotic therapy. The standard treatment for primary, secondary, or early latent syphilis (less than one year duration) is a single intramuscular injection of benzathine penicillin G 2.4 million units. For late latent syphilis or syphilis of unknown duration, the recommended regimen is benzathine penicillin G 2.4 million units intramuscularly once weekly for three weeks.
Key Points to Consider
- Penicillin works quickly to kill the Treponema pallidum bacteria that cause syphilis, rapidly reducing infectiousness 1.
- It's essential to abstain from sexual contact until all lesions or symptoms have completely healed, which may take longer than 48 hours in some cases.
- Sexual partners should be notified, tested, and treated if necessary.
- Follow-up blood tests are crucial to confirm that the infection is resolving properly.
- The rapid reduction in infectiousness occurs because penicillin disrupts the bacterial cell wall synthesis, effectively killing the spirochetes responsible for transmitting the infection.
Treatment Efficacy
- A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found no significant difference in the efficacy of azithromycin compared to penicillin for treating syphilis 2.
- However, penicillin remains the gold standard for treating syphilis due to its proven track record and effectiveness in killing the bacteria.