Is neurosyphilis contagious during treatment?

[HardnThick]

Is someone receiving penicillin treatment for neurosyphilis (as a precaution, but with no symptoms) still contagious during the treatment?

 

Test results are ambiguous. His doctor is doing the treatment “just in case” an infection from years ago might possibly had not been completely cleared up.

[+ deej]

What did his doctor have to say about it? That's the only advice I'd really listen to.

[trilingual]

Syphilis is very contagious, both anally and orally, so why take a chance? Wait until the course of treatment is completed and your friend's doctor has given the all-clear signal. Otherwise, you may find yourself having to get treated, too, and who needs that?

[VaHawk]

Syphilis I believe, is only highly contagious via sexual contact mainly during the primary, sometimes secondary stages. Neurosyphilis is the tertiary stage, and highly unlikely to be transmitted via sexual contact.

 

According to google:

"Neurosyphilis is a slowly progressive and destructive infection of the brain or spinal cord. It occurs in untreated syphilis many years after the primary infection."

 

Weird as I just saw a repeat episode of Law & Order, where the perpetrator had this disease, that made him psychotic, and unable to be responsible for his actions as his brain was "swiss cheese". I know a tv show, but a L&O is very spot on about this type of issue, and it was stated that infection via sexual contact at this stage was not possible.

 

Google the subject, and you'll find that the treatment involves much more than a few penicillin shots, and that at this stage it is not always curable. HIV+ people, it seems, are also much more subjective to this, as the symptoms are much more masked leading to long term undetectability.

 

If you look at history and literature thru out history before the discovery of penicillin, untreated syphilis was a major health problem. I believe, that this is indeed what drove George III to his madness.

[OneFinger]

VaHawk, great info and a very informative post. Thanks for the data and excellent response.

[AaronScottDC]

>VaHawk, great info and a very informative post. Thanks for

>the data and excellent response.

 

I concur! :-)

 

Aaron Scott DC

http://www.erados.com/AaronScottDC

http://www.male4malescorts.com/reviews/aaronscottdc.html

[giovoni]

>Test results are ambiguous. His doctor is doing the treatment

>“just in case” an infection from years ago might possibly had

>not been completely cleared up.

>

 

I don't understand this part. How are the tests ambiguous? Which tests? Has he had a lumbar puncture? There are a few tests that find the bug responsible for syphilis. The only one that I know of that would leave any doubt is the RPR which is sometimes positive in people who do not have syphilis but who do have rheumatoid arthritis. There are much more specific tests both for the blood and the spinal fluid which would clear any ambiguity.

 

I know there are people here who think Doctors never have anyone's best interest at heat but it's hard for me to imagine one that would put your friend through the painful treatment for this without knowing what he's treating.

 

As for it being contagious I honestly don't know.. it's MUCH more contagious during it's primary stages when there are actually open sores on and in the genitals. If you've already had sex with him go get tested for it ... if you haven't don't until his treatment is over and his tests aren't "ambiguous" any longer.

 

Gio in Denver

 

"I do not love the bright sword for it's sharpness, nor the arrow for it's swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend."

[Guest arbee]

Neurosyphilis is said not to be contagious. Treatment is nonetheless mandatory. It can be difficult to diagnose and so the diagnosis is best left to infectious disease specialists at a tertiary care center (medical center). The last case I saw was almost 35 years ago in a NYC hospital; it was very sad.

 

The first treatment should be closely supervised since there is a rare but dangerous reaction which can occur (Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction) said to be consequent to the dead spirochetes "spilling" their "toxins" into the circulation.

 

Subsequent to treatment, patients need to be frequently monitored to judge adequacy of treatment.

 

(That's all I remember... sorry... it's been a long time.)

[londonbear]

Correction: George III's symptoms were almost certainly caused by porphyria, an inherited blood disorder. The condition is made more serious by arsenic which was actually in the medicine prescribed by his doctors.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3889903.stm