Epidemiology of Syphilis in Australia and Novel Approaches for Early Detection of Syphilis

This thesis examines the epidemiology of syphilis in Australia and explores novel approaches for early detection. It highlights gaps in current knowledge of syphilis epidemiology, such as the differences in syphilis cases between men who have sex with men (MSM) and heterosexual populations and the increasing trend of hospital admissions for neurosyphilis, a complication of syphilis which affects the brain, eyes, and ears. Two novel approaches for early detection of syphilis are explored: anal self-examination in MSM and a laboratory method called PCR to screen for syphilis at mucosal sites. However, further research is needed to determine the effectiveness of these methods in the early detection of syphilis.