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STDs (Expert Forum)
syphilis testing
Answered by
University of Washington
Seattle - WA
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This forum is limited to questions about STDs other than HIV/AIDS. For questions about HIV prevention, or if you have general questions about safe sex (e.g., condoms, how to protect yourself from HIV and STDs), please visit the HIV Prevention and Safe Sex Forum
Some of the most common types of questions concern the risk of HIV or STD after a particular sexual exposure, and about symptoms that might or might not be due to HIV. If your question is along these lines, please visit the HIV Prevention and Safe Sex Forum.
syphilis testing
by mrtibbs, Jul 18, 2005 12:00AM
According to a past post you state that 6 weeks is long enough to have a reliabe test for syphilis, however the incubation period is up to 90 days. Will the test pick up incubating syphilis or is it highly unusual to have incubating syphilis past 6 weeks. I tested negative at 6 weeks and then again at 11 weeks, however I developed a sore in my mouth which appeared to be a canker sore 2 days after testing and was wondering how likely that I still had incubating syphilis and what a Chancre sore in the mouth would look like. Thanks for answering my question.
Doctor's Answer
by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D., Jul 18, 2005 12:00AM
, Jul 18, 2005 12:00AM
Sometimes it can take as long as 3 months for the syphilis blood test to become positive; but more than 90% will be positive within 6 weeks. Almost certainly you have a garden-variety canker sore, not syphilis. In general, the chancre of syphilis is painless and has a firm, "solid" feel to it (often described as "rubbery"). Canker sores generally are "soft", not firm/rubbery, and quite painful.
Anyway, 11 weeks is long enough to be considered reliable, even if a bit short of 3 months. But if the lesion is like my description of syphilis, or if you have reason to believe the person you were exposed to actually has syphilis, follow up with a health care provider for further evaluation.
HHH, MD
Anyway, 11 weeks is long enough to be considered reliable, even if a bit short of 3 months. But if the lesion is like my description of syphilis, or if you have reason to believe the person you were exposed to actually has syphilis, follow up with a health care provider for further evaluation.
HHH, MD
