Question

1. What other bacterial diseases, other than syphilis can cause rashes? Are rashes considered to be a “specific symptom” (only seen in syphilis cases)?

2. What serologic tests are used to diagnose syphilis infections?

3. What are the stages of the disease is observed in Patients 1 and 2? What medical interventions (i.e. treatments) can be applied in this case for the above patients?

4. What are the consequences of not treating this infection?

5. What virulence factors are associated with Treponema pallidum? How do they contribute to this microbe’s ability to cause disease?

Answer 1

1).

Streptococcus pyogenes is a pathogenic beta haemolytic bacteria (group A) that causes infections such as pharyngitis, scarlet fever, rheumatic fever, necrotizing fasciitis or flesh eating disease, etc.

Scarlet fever is a bacterial infection that produce symptoms such as skin rash, red rashes, and sore throat.

2). Enzyme immunoassay (EIA) test is used to diagnose syphilis.