As a bacterial infection, Syphilis is usually spread from one infected person to another through sexual activity. The short answer is that you can catch syphilis without having sex. It is possible for the disease to be transmitted simply by touching an infected sore or sharing items such as razors or sex toys. This report will examine some of the scenarios in which you can catch it and take a broader look at the STD as a whole.

Syphilis: what is it?

It is a bacterial infection that is usually contracted by having sex with an infected individual. The condition usually appears as painless sores on the genitals, anus, or mouth and spreads through contact. It can be cured with antibiotics when caught early, but if left untreated, it can cause serious health complications in the heart, brain and other organs.

Different ways to catch syphilis

Generally, it spreads through close contact with an infected sore during sex, but can also be spread through contact with an active sore during other activities such as touching or kissing.

Those who engage in unprotected sex, have multiple sexual partners, have homosexual sex, or have HIV are especially vulnerable to contracting it.

Is it possible to catch Syphilis without having sex?

In spite of the fact that syphilis is most commonly transmitted through sex, you can contract it just by being in close contact with an infected sore. The disease can be contracted without penetrating sex in the following ways:

• Women who are pregnant

When a woman is pregnant or gives birth vaginally, she can unwittingly pass on Syphilis to her unborn child. Globally, WHO estimated 661 000 congenital syphilis cases in 2016, including:

• Stillbirths and early fetal deaths total 143 000
• The number of neonatal deaths is 61 000
• A total of 41 000 babies are born preterm or with low birth weight
• Congenital syphilis affects 109 000 infants.

57% occurred in pregnant women who attended antenatal care but were not screened for this test; 16% occurred in mothers who were screened for syphilis but did not receive treatment or received inadequate treatment. Globally, congenital syphilis is the second leading cause of preventable stillbirth, after malaria.

• Sexual relations between the oral and anal regions

When you conduct oral or anal sex with a partner who has sores on their genitals, you risk catching syphilis.

• kiss

If you develop sores around or inside your mouth, kissing can transmit it if you have had oral sex with an infected partner.

• Contact with the skin

In addition to hand stimulation, grinding, and laying naked together, simply touching syphilis sores can result in a contracting the disease.

• Toys shared for sex

The best practice is to avoid sharing sex toys, or at the very least, thoroughly clean them before sharing them, if they come into contact with infected sores.

• Razors and needles shared

Through the use of needles and razors, small nicks in the skin can result in infections. Infected sores are more likely to spread it when needle sharing occurs, but using a razor after using it on an infected sore increases your risk of contracting it.

There are a few things you can’t catch syphilis from:

• Seats for toilets

In most cases, it (and most other STIs) cannot be caught from public toilet seats. Syphilis is contracted by contact with infected genital sores.

• Clothing or towels shared

Public lice is the only STI that can be contracted by sharing towels and clothing.

• Food, drinks, or cutlery sharing

It is not possible to spread Syphilis through food and drink or cutlery. The disease can only be contracted by coming into contact with infected sores at the genitals. However, it is possible to contract Oral Herpes by sharing unwashed cutlery, straws, and drinkware, although it is uncommon.

Symptoms and Effects

Take a moment to read about the different symptoms and effects of this highly infected disease now that you know how it is spread and if you can contract it without having sex.

Symptoms of syphilis usually develop in stages and are different at each stage. However, it can be asymptomatic for years without obvious symptoms. If left untreated, it can become quite severe.

• Syphilis in its primary form

The first sign of syphilis is usually a small sore (a chancre) about three weeks after transmission. It is usually painless and many people won’t notice it, since it can be hidden in the vagina or anus.

• Syphilis secondary to HIV

In the first few weeks, you may develop a rash around your genitals, but it may eventually spread across your entire body. You may also develop sores at your genitals, muscle aches, a fever, a sore throat, and/or swelling of your lymph nodes.

These symptoms usually disappear within a few weeks, but they can recur repeatedly for up to a year.

• Syphilis latent

The infection may stay at this stage for years without symptoms, but it could worsen into tertiary syphilis if left untreated.

• Syphilis tertiary

In late syphilis, the untreated disease damages your brain, nerves, eyes, heart, bones, and joints several years after the initial infection.

• Syphilis with neurosyphilis

As with tertiary syphilis, neurosyphilis is a late-stage disease that damages the brain, nervous system, and eyes.

• Syphilis congenital

A mother with infected with this disease can pass it on to her unborn child. It is known as congenital syphilis. Most newborns do not show symptoms, but some will develop rashes on their hands and feet, anemia, and yellowness. A baby with congenital syphilis may have deformed bones, brain and nerve damage, meningitis, and low birth weight. They may also be born prematurely or stillborn.

Treatment & Testing

A course of antibiotic tablets or an injection of antibiotics into the buttocks may be necessary if you have had syphilis for a long time. A person should avoid sexual activity or close contact with another person during the treatment period and for two weeks afterwards.

We offer a number of STD tests that can be used to detect it, including individual syphilis tests and profile tests. Some tests are also available as home-testing kits, where you deposit your sample at home, and send it to our lab for analysis.

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