Diagnosis of Syphilis

A health care provider can diagnose syphilis by recognizing its signs and symptoms. Lab tests can confirm the diagnosis. Tests to diagnose syphilis include microscopic identification of syphilis bacteria in a sample taken from a chancre and several types of blood tests. Health care providers use a combination of these approaches to detect syphilis and determine the stage of infection. Blood tests are also used to confirm that antibiotics have cured the disease.