Follow up: STD Symptoms

Hi Doctor, This is in reference to a previous post:  [Q: STD symptoms - pce50: 10/02/2005 A: STD symptoms - Forum-M.D.-HHH: 10/03/2005].  

I managed an HIV test [Home Access] and it

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Just have a standard syphilis blood test, if not yet done; it will be reliable if done at least 8 weeks after acquiring the infection or 2-3 weeks after the oral ulcer.  In the entire US, fewer than 5000 new cases of syphlis occur per year, except in gay men--so on that basis alone, the odds are very low.  But to answer your specifc question, syphlis this recently acquried would not cause those symptoms.  Accelerated secondary syphilis is extremely rare; the only case I have ever seen was in an HIV-infected gay man, and even it was not as rapid as one week.

Good luck--  HHH, MD