Syphilis Pathogenesis: Host Interactions, Immune Evasion, and Persistence of Treponema pallidum.
Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum is the causative agent of syphilis, a chronic and potentially devastating infection that is resurging globally. The bacterium is highly invasive, disseminates rapidly, and establishes decades-long latency that may progress to severe tissue destruction and death. T. pallidum's reduced...