Cursed Corkscrews
These teal corkscrews are Treponema pallidum – the bacterium that causes syphilis. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection, but if left untreated it can affect other areas of the body, including the nervous system, where it can cause severe neurological damage.
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DownloadCursed Corkscrews
These teal corkscrews are Treponema pallidum – the bacterium that causes syphilis. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection, but if left untreated it can affect other areas of the body, including the nervous system, where it can cause severe neurological damage.
What am I looking at?
This is a colored scanning electron microscopy image of Treponema pallidum bacteria. The bacteria are teal (1) and the surrounding infected tissue is purple (2).
Biology in the background
Syphilis is a relatively well known sexually transmitted infection. It can be spread through direct genital, oral, or anal contact with an infected individual. In addition, it can be passed to a fetus during pregnancy or conveyed through a blood transfusion. It is a fairly common infection, with the World Health Organization estimating that 7.1 million cases occurred during 2020 in individuals between 15 and 49 years old.
In its early stages, syphilis is often painless and its symptoms, such as sores on the genitals, may be overlooked. This elevates its transmission rate, because an infected individual may not think they are infected if they notice no symptoms or pain. A syphilitic infection can be effectively treated with antibiotics, but if it’s left untreated it can cause serious illness and even death.
A syphilis bacterium can grow up to 15 micrometers long, or roughly five times smaller than the width of a human hair.
Technique
This image was created using electron microscopy.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH