The Origin, Etiology and Treatment of Syphilis Essay...

The Origin, Etiology and Treatment of Syphilis â€Å"And this disease of which I speak, this syphilis too will pass away and die out, but later it will be born again and be seen again by our grandchildren just as in bygone ages we must believe it was observed by our ancestors.† – Fracastoro, 1538 1 It has been written about, debated over, and has affected every culture it has come into contact with. One can only be amazed when examining the microscopic syphilis bacterium. It traveled the seas of 1492 with Columbus, fought alongside Hitler in the war of the worlds, and gambled with the likes of Al Capone. 2 This bacterium has been a part of hundreds of year’s worth of human history, and probably thousands of year’s worth of prehistory.†¦show more content†¦There are a total of 1,041 predicted open reading frames, with an average size of 1,023 base pairs, representing 92.9% of total genomic DNA. 5 Comparison of the T. pallidum genome sequence with that of another pathogenic spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease, identified unique and common genes and substantiates through considerable diversity observed among pathogenic spirochetes. Furthermore, the gene sequence has indicated that a Gap1 sequence from T. pallidum is very closely relat ed to GAPDH genes from the eukaryotic Euglenozoa, indicating that an interkingdom gene transfer may have occurred between these organisms. 6 The sequencing of the Treponema pallidum genome can also set itself apart from many non-pathogenic relatives. The first major difference is that syphilis has been hindered by the inability to culture the bacterium outside the human host. The reason for this is because scientists do not know the nutrition needed for the spirochete. 5 The second major difference revealed through gene sequencing is that the bacterium’s metabolism is very limited. Absent from the spirochete are many biosynthetic pathways. Examples include pathways for synthesis of enzyme cofactors, fatty acids, nucleotides, and some electron transport proteins. Because of the limited biosynthetic capabilities, Treponema pallidum depends on the host for multiple nutrients. Thus, the spirochete has a repertoire of transport proteins withShow MoreRelatedAncient India and Medical Science3418 Words   |  14 Pagesand understanding can never treat diseases. He put more emphasis on prevention rather than cure. He made these remarks in his famous treatise Charaka Samahita which are held in great reverence even today. The other notable fields were physiology, etiology and embryology. He also wrote extensively on digestion, metabolism and immune system. He wrote that body functions as it contains three dosha- bile, phlegm and wind. These are produced when dhatus - blood, flesh and marrow act on food consumed. The