Most of the times, the disease is transmitted through sexual contact with an infected individual. However, there are also other means to be contaminated. The bacteria can be transmitted to healthy individuals through kissing or biting, as well as by nonsexual means. Going into direct contact with the infected items or objects could get the bacteria into our bodies any time.

Any direct contact with infected body fluids present the same high risk of contamination. Body fluids, like saliva, vaginal secretions, blood, seminal liquid, when contaminated, can infect a healthy individual if that person goes into direct contact with them. It is also possible that the mothers transmit the bacteria to their newborns.

Right after exposure to the bacteria, there is nothing going on. The start of the evolution of these nasty bacteria can be discreet and the symptoms could be missing. If it is left untreated, it has a slow and painful evolution and the ending of it is ugly and dramatic.

The first manifestation of the infection is a skin lesion, which has regulated shape, round or oval, no painful and hard consistency. In addition, the volume increase of the lymphatic ganglions could be a sign of infection. The swelling could appear in the vulva area, around the penis, as well as around the anus.

During the secondary phase of the syphilis, other characteristic manifestations take place. It is the eruption on the skin at the skin level, which spreads all over the body. Small red blisters form on the skin, meaning around the mouth area, on the palms of the hand or on the foot sole. These symptoms will disappear even without treatment but the infection will not. The infected individual may ignore or not pay attention to the symptoms mentioned above but the infection will stay inside the organism and will evolve surely and slowly.

Untreated syphilis after the signs and the symptoms are gone does not mean the infection is not there anymore. As we said, it will still be there. The evolution of the disease can take years and go through many phases. The incubation period can be up to ninety days; during this period of time symptoms can be missing. The "primary" stage of evolution as well as the "secondary" one is "easy". The "third" stage is the stage when the bacteria enter a latency state.

The latency state can take several years and the symptoms are not present in any way. Depending on the individual, the "late syphilis period" starts after five to twenty years from the contaminating contact, weather it was of sexual nature or not. The pathogen agent invades the organism, and the destructions will be visible at all the levels of the organism. The heart, the bones, internal organs, nervous system, they will all be affected by the bacteria.