Labels:text | screenshot | font | number | paper | book OCR: SYPHILIS THE SEXUALLY transmitted disease syphilis is caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum, which is present in the bodily fluids of an infected person. Syphilis is usually passed on through contact with a sore or ulcer occurring on the genitals, mouth, or anus. Although an infected person may feel well, he or she may be infectious to others. The primary stages can be cured with antibiotics, but the effects of late-stage syphilis, such as brain damage, cannot be reversed.