NC_000919:12545 Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum str. Nichols, complete genome
Host Lineage: Treponema pallidum; Treponema; Spirochaetaceae; Spirochaetales; Spirochaetes; Bacteria
General Information: This strain was originally isolated in 1912 from a neurosyphilitic patient and is virulent. This organism is the causative agent of endemic and venereal syphilis. This sexual transmitted disease was first discovered in Europe at the end of the fifteenth century, however, the causative agent was not identified until 1905. At one time syphilis was the third most commonly reported communicable disease in the USA. Syphilis is characterized by multiple clinical stages and long periods of latent, asymptomatic infection. Although effective therapies have been available since the introduction of penicillin, syphilis remains a global health problem. This organisms is divided into subspecies each of which causes a specific disease. T. pallidum causes the venereal disease syphilis. T. pertenue, T. carateum and T. endemicum cause the skin infections yaws, pinta and bejel, respectively.