Treponema pallidum can also cause inflammation of the heart muscle, but in the early stages syphilis there is no effect on circulation. In the late stages of syphilis however, the aorta and aortic valve can be affected by the spirochete which weakens the elastic properties of the aorta wall and sometimes results in aneurysms. This was a common complication in the past, but now the condition has become much rarer. There is also benign late syphilis which is still painful and hideous but not life threatening. The victim develops ulcerated lesions, or gummas, of the skin, mucous membranes, bone and other organs, especially the liver, testes and the brain.
Syphilis causes very severe infections in babies who catch it from their mothers.
The bacterium can cross the placenta and infect the unborn fetus. Babies who catch syphilis from their mothers can have severe complications including stillbirth, liver failure, pneumonia, bleeding, or damage to the brain, bones, teeth, and skin. The infant may have lesions at birth or may develop them as late as adolescence, when late-stage symptoms usually begin.