[Question #12132] Can Syphilis be transmitted without sex
 |
10 months ago
|
Can syphilis be transmitted by using your mouth on non genital body parts? About a month ago I fooled around with a girl. No intercourse or oral sex occurred, but I did use my mouth on her feet and toes. Normally this would not cause me any concern, especially with the answers to my previous questions, however this week I developed a canker sore on the inside of my mouth. Can syphilis be transmitted this way? Should I get tested to be sure? Or is this a huge coincidence causing me anxiety for nothing? Thank you.
 |
H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
10 months ago
|
Welcome. Sorry for the delayed reply: the problem that I feared and mentioned in my initial reply -- now deleted -- has been resolved. My apologies. Although you've been here before, those questions were over two years ago.
However, you are exactly right that the answer to the previous questions should be reassuring, including that only sex itself is likely to ever transmit any STD. Oral contact with skin anywhere on the body, except for direct oral-genital or oral-anal contact, is risk free for syphilis and all other STDs. Even if your partner a month ago had active syphilis, oral contact with her feet was risk free. And syphilis does not cause typical canker sores: the ulcer of primary syphilis (chancre) typically is painless. Most likely you'll also find that your canker sore starts to heal after a couple of days and completely gone heals over the next week or so, whereas syphilitic chancres typically last 2-3 weeks. If you remain nervous about it, you certainly could have a syphilis blood test. If so, wait a couple more weeks (6 weeks after the sexual contact). But truly don't be worried in the meantime. There is no realistic chance of syphilis.
FYI, three words come from the same Latin origin: cancer, canker and chancre. I believe the original Latin meaning applied to any unexplained sore -- many generations before specific causes were found.
I hope these comments are helpful. Apologies again for the delayed reply. Let me know if anything isn't clear.
HHH, MD
--- |
10 months ago
|
Thank you for the reply and no worries about being sure I wasn’t violating terms. Like I said in my original post I didn’t think there was a risk in my situation, but then wondered (after the sore in my mouth) what if she had a syphilis sore on her feet that I came in contact with. Btw in that rare case that a syphilis sore was on the hands or feet could it be spread to another?Also the sore in my mouth indeed already started to heal and was a bit painful when it first started. It’s actually been exactly 35 days since the encounter is this still too soon to test if I decide to do so?
|
H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
10 months ago
|
Where the skin rash of secondary syphilis involves dry skin surface, it is not transmissible even with intimate contact. Only the chancre of primary syphilis and secondary syphilis lesions in most areas (typically genital, anal and oral) can transmit the infection. And statistically it also is probably very unlikely your new partner has syphilis. And it sounds like your canker sore is healing on schedule. I really don't recommend syphilis testing at all. But if you decide to do it, you have only a week to wait for a conclusive negative result.---
---
---
|
10 months ago
|
I know this is my final reply so thank you again for the reassurance that this encounter was not a risk. So the contagious primary syphilis chancre would not appear on hands or feet? Only on genitals, anus or mouth? Thanks again
|
H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
10 months ago
|
All correct. In distant past years, dentists and other health care providers occasionally had primary syphilis (chancres) on their fingers, but those cases all were due to injury while caring for patients with syphilis, in the pre-gloving era. Truly you have nothing to worry about. Had I somehow been in your situation, I definitely would not be tested for syphilis and would be continuing unprotected sex with my wife knowing there was no risk to her.
Indeed that concludes this thread. I hope it has been helpful. Best wishes and stay safe.
---