TREPONEMA

—R S JANI JASODHARA
TREPONEMA
o Treponema is a genus of spiral – shaped Bacteria
o Trepos means “turn” & Nema means “thread”
o They are short , slender spirochetes with fine spirals & pointed or rounded end
o Treponema cause the following disease in humans:
1. Venereal syphilis — T. Pallidum
2. Endemic syphilis – T.Pallidum /T.endemicum
3. Yaws –T . Pertenue
4. Pinta – T. Carateum
T. PALLIDUM

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TREPONEMA PALLIDUM

o Treponema Pallidum, the causative agent of syphilis, was discovered by schaudinn &
Hoffman (1905)
o It’s about 10
o T. Pallidum cannot be seen under the light microscope in wet film
o Its morphology & morality can be seen under dark ground or phase contrasts microscope
o It can also stained by silver impregnation method .
o Fontana’s method is useful for staining films & lavaditi’s method for tissues sections
T. PALLIDUM UNDER DARK GROUND
MICROSCOPE

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T. PALLIDUM STAINED

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SYPHILIS

o Syphilis is a bacterial infection Usually spread by sexual contact .

o Spirochetes enters body through minute abrassions on skin or mucous. Multiplies at
the site of entry
o Clinical manifestations falls into 3 stages
• Veneral
• Non- veneral
• Congential
ULCER DEVELOPMENT DURING ENDEMIC
SYPHILIS
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Treatment :
• Penicillin is uniformly effective i syphilis 
• Early syphilis—— single injection of 2.4 million units of benzathine penicillin g is
abeqate 
• Late syphilis—/— same thing for 3 weeks when allergy occur doxycycline is used 
• Ceftriaxone is effective particularly in neurosyphilis 
• Sometimes penicillin treatment induces Jarishu- herxheimer reaction  consisting for
fever malaise 
• Frequent but harmless primary & secondary can be managed with bed rest & aspirin 
YAWS :
o Yaws also known as frambesia , pian & parangi .
o This is endemic in the tropical area of Africa , Asia And America
o The causative agent is a T.Pallidum subspecies, Pertenue (T.Pertenue) ,which is
morphologically and antigenically indistinguishable from T.Pallidum.
o The primary lesion (mother yaw ) is an extragential papule which enlarges and
breaks down to form an ulcerating granuloma
o Destructive gummatous lesions of the bone are common
PINTA:

o Pinta also known as azur , carate and mal del pintois

o Endemic in Mexico,central , South America And the neighbouring islands
o The primary lesion is an extragenitial papule , which does not ulcerate but develops
into a lichenoid or psoriasiform patch
o Secondary skin lesions are characterised by hyperpigmentation or
hypopigmentation
o It’s very closely to T.padllium
oTreatment:
• Benzathine penicillin or oral dose of azithromycin have been recommended for
treatment
o Non- pathogenic treponemes:
• Several commensal treponemes (eg: T. Denticola) occur on the buccal and genital
mucosa & may cause confusion in the diagnosis of syphilis by dark –field examination
• They are a heterogeneous group and have not been abequately characterised.
• It is found in syphilis & non syphilis
THANK YOU