Syphilis is one of the most unpleasant diseases in modern sexual medicine. It is a sexually transmitted infection that is caught most often in the more active younger generation and in general in people with pronounced promiscuity in their behavior. The disease develops after infection with a bacterium called pale spirochete. In addition to the disease syphilis, the bacterium can cause three other diseases in humans – yams or pertenue, pinta and bejel. Syphilis can also be active in newborns and young children. We speak of congenital syphilis when the infection is transmitted from the mother to the child’s organism during pregnancy and the birth itself. At the beginning of its discovery, the disease was called “French disease”, because of the supposed origin of the infection. The disease proceeds in its activity without clinical symptoms for years, therefore to this day the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases in the sexually more active generation with regular tests is particularly important and this topic has become one of the most widely discussed during sexual medicine symposia. The disease itself can mimic symptoms of many other diseases, so to this day the surest way to make a diagnosis is through a serological test. The disease syphilis has a very different clinical picture, depending on the phase in which it is located – primary, secondary, latent or tertiary. During the primary phase, the specific chancre appears. It is a formation with a very hard surface, which, however, does not cause any pain symptom, nor is it characterized by itching, but in practice it looks like a typical ulcer erosion. The secondary form of syphilis is usually more dramatic and forces patients to visit the doctor’s office. Symptoms during this stage usually include multiple rashes all over the body, including the palms and soles. During the latent stage, there may be a lull in the clinical picture, especially if the patients during this time did not pay attention to the alarming symptoms. Usually, this stage is also fatal for them, because the organism passes quickly to the tertiary phase of the disease, where the development of syphilitic gums begins, which give characteristic neurological and cardiac symptoms, due to the fact that they are deposited in the brain and on the wall of the heart muscle. What is the modern diagnosis of “French disease”? Diagnostic clarification of the disease is extremely difficult, and therefore one should prepare to conduct some series of laboratory tests. In the modern world, the easiest way is to use blood tests to prove the disease. The problem, however, is that this type of diagnostics very often gives false results, which necessitates their repeated execution. It is also possible to observe biological material under a microscope, looking for syphilis bacteria. NEWS_MORE_BOX Blood methods for testing and proving the disease are divided into two main groups.They are named after the bacterium that causes syphilis – treponema pallidum. In this order of logic, studies are grouped into two – treponemal and non-treponemal. Initially, non-treponemal tests are always used in the diagnostic process, which include testing for several types of venereal diseases and a rapid reagin test. Because of the increased number of false-positive results for the French disease, specialists are often forced to appoint a specific treponemal method for diagnostic testing. Such are TPHA – treponema pallidum partial agglutination test and FTA-Abs. – test of absorbed immunofluorescence. Non-treponemal methods often lead to errors, as they are particularly sensitive to active viral infections at the time of testing – chicken pox, measles, tuberculosis, influenza, endocarditis, connective tissue diseases and pregnancy. The time required to verify the diagnosis is a period of a few days from the moment the blood sample is taken, but it takes between two and six weeks for the infection to fully develop after the suspected intercourse. In its tertiary form, when neurosyphilis develops, the detection of leukocytopenia, with lymphocytopenia and hyperproteinemia in a cerebrospinal fluid sample is decisive for the diagnosis, given that sexually transmitted infection has already been proven in the patient. In 1936, for two years, a very active campaign was carried out to fight syphilis. Despite the efforts then and to this day, the number of patients is constantly increasing. The campaign’s tagline read: “Shame and fear can destroy your future!” Take a test!”.that the sexually transmitted infection in the patient has already been proven. In 1936, for two years, a very active campaign was carried out to fight syphilis. Despite the efforts then and to this day, the number of patients is constantly increasing. The campaign’s tagline read: “Shame and fear can destroy your future!” Take a test!”.that the sexually transmitted infection in the patient has already been proven. In 1936, for two years, a very active campaign was carried out to fight syphilis. Despite the efforts then and to this day, the number of patients is constantly increasing. The campaign’s tagline read: “Shame and fear can destroy your future!” Take a test!”.