Congenital syphilis is a severe, disabling, and often life-threatening infection seen in infants. A pregnant mother who has syphilis can spread the disease through the placenta to the unborn infant.
Alternative Names:
Congenital lues; Fetal syphilis
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:
Congenital syphilis is caused by the organism Treponema pallidum, which is passed from mother to child during fetal development or birth. Nearly half of all children infected with syphilis while they are in the womb die shortly before or after birth.
Despite the fact that this disease can be cured with antibiotics if caught early, rising rates of syphilis among pregnant women in the United States have recently increased the number of infants born with congenital syphilis.
Early rash -- small blisters on the palms and soles
Later rash -- copper-colored, flat or bumpy rash on the face, palms, soles
Rash of the mouth, genitalia, and anus
Severe congenital pneumonia
Watery discharge from the nose
Symptoms in older infants and young children may include:
Abnormal notched and peg shaped teeth called Hutchinson teeth
Bone pain
Blindness
Clouding of the cornea
Decreased hearing or deafness
Gray, mucous-like patches on the anus and outer vagina
Joint swelling
Refusal to move a painful arm or leg
Saber shins (bone problem of the lower leg)
Scarring of the skin around the mouth, genitalia, and anus
Signs and tests:
If the disorder is suspected at the time of birth, the placenta will be examined for signs of syphilis. A physical examination of the infant may show signs of liver and spleen swelling and bone inflammation.
An infant or child may have the following tests done:
Bone x-ray
Eye examination
Lumbar puncture
Dark-field examination to better detect syphilis-related bacteria under a microscope
Review Date: 10/8/2007
Reviewed By: Deirdre O’Reilly, MD, MPH, Neonatologist, Division of Newborn Medicine, Children’s Hospital Boston and Instructor in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Review Provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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Neonatology
