What is the link between syphilis and HIV?
Of particular concern is the interaction between syphilis and HIV/AIDS. Genital sores (chancres) caused by syphilis make it easier to transmit and acquire infection. There is an estimated 2- to 5-fold increased risk of acquiring HIV infection when syphilis is present. Furthermore, people who are HIV positive and also have syphilis are at greater risk of transmitting the infection to others. It can be difficult to successfully treat HIV patients who have syphilis. Ulcerative STDs that cause sores, ulcers, or breaks in the skin or mucous membranes, such as syphilis, disrupt barriers that provide protection against infections. The genital ulcers caused by syphilis can bleed easily, and when they come into contact with oral and rectal mucosa during sex, increase the infectiousness of and susceptibility to HIV. Having other STDs is also an important predictor for becoming HIV infected because STDs are a marker for behaviors associated with HIV transmission.
