Syphilis
Syphilis is caused by a bacteria-like spirochete Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. Syphilis can be transmitted between partners during sexual intercourse and from an infected pregnant woman across the placenta to a developing baby.
In England, diagnoses of syphilis have increased substantially since 1997, driven in part by outbreaks such as those in Manchester and London.
Concern about the potential spread of syphilis amongst both gay men, and heterosexual men and women, has resulted in the development of new surveillance initiatives by the CDSC in partnership with Public Health, Microbiology and colleagues in Genitourinary Medicine.