Secondary syphilis presents other cutaneous manifestations such as condylomata lata, mucous patches, or split papules [29]. These findings are specific to syphilis as no such similarities are found in monkeypox and, thus, become one of the clinically distinguishing features between monkeypox and syphilis.
The cutaneous manifestations of secondary syphilis are diverse such that the rash can present as papular, annular, or pustular and have a fine overlying scale [29]. In monkeypox, the rash progresses through stages of macules, papules, vesicles, and pustules before it begins to scab and desquamate [2].
Monkeypox is part of the same family of viruses as variola virus, the virus that causes smallpox. It causes similar but milder symptoms than smallpox and is rarely fatal.
Focusing on the differential diagnosis of febrile illness associated with vesiculobullous lesions and lymphadenopathy, a variety of conditions can mimic its presentation, including smallpox, varicella, syphilis, acute retroviral syndrome, and genital herpes.
To summarize, monkeypox is a disease that is spread from person to person by intimate skin contact; it is more common among MSM, but it cannot be classified as an STD because it is not transmitted through seminal or vaginal fluid.
58 (75%) of 77 patients had monkeypox virus DNA in their semen, supporting that it is a too frequent finding for relegating it to mere contamination. Studies of other viruses also highlight the difficult or sporadic isolation of replication-competent viruses from semen.
Mpox can spread from person-to-person through contact with lesions or scabs of a person with mpox. These lesions or scabs may be found on the skin or mucosal surfaces, such as: eyes. anus.
The rash can initially look like pimples or blisters and may be painful or itchy.
At first, the rash can be painful because the virus is causing inflammation. After a few days, the rash turns into fluid-filled blisters. The fluid prompts release of chemicals in your body that cause itching. It's similar to the process that makes chicken pox so itchy.
Does monkeypox go away? Yes. For most people, monkeypox gets better on its own without treatment and symptoms can be managed at home. However, a person with monkeypox can spread monkeypox from the time symptoms first appear to the time the rash is fully healed.
Mpox can spread through close contact of any kind, including through kissing, touching, oral and penetrative vaginal or anal sex with someone who is infectious. People who have sex with multiple or new partners are most at risk.
Anyone who has close physical contact of any kind with someone with monkeypox is at risk, regardless of who they are, what they do, who they choose to have sex with, or any other factor. The WHO points out that it is inadmissible to stigmatize people because of a disease.
The disease mpox (formerly monkeypox) is caused by the monkeypox virus (commonly abbreviated as MPXV), an enveloped double-stranded DNA virus of the Orthopoxvirus genus in the Poxviridae family, which includes variola, cowpox, vaccinia and other viruses.
In 1495 an epidemic of a new and terrible disease broke out among the soldiers of Charles VIII of France when he invaded Naples in the first of the Italian Wars, and its subsequent impact on the peoples of Europe was devastating – this was syphilis, or grande verole, the “great pox”.
The characteristic rash of secondary syphilis may appear as rough, red, or reddish brown spots both on the palms of the hands and the bottoms of the feet. However, rashes with a different appearance may occur on other parts of the body, sometimes resembling rashes caused by other diseases.
Symptoms of syphilis rash
It often takes the form of rough, red or brownish spots on the soles of the feet or palms of the hands. A syphilis rash doesn't usually itch. People may mistake a syphilis rash for psoriasis, eczema or pityriasis rosea if they don't realize they have syphilis.
People usually develop symptoms 5 to 21 days after being exposed to the monkeypox virus. Symptoms typically last from 2 to 4 weeks and may pass through several stages. The rash can be painful and could affect any part of the body, such as the: face and mouth.
The mpox rash often first appears on the face, hands or feet and then spreads to other parts of the body. The mpox rash goes through many stages. Flat spots turn into blisters. Then the blisters fill with pus, scab over and fall off over a period of 2 to 4 weeks.
If you have already had monkeypox, you will not usually get it a second time. We do not yet know for sure whether this is also the case after vaccination. You may still develop a skin rash (including blisters) from direct skin contact with someone who has monkeypox, and those blisters are contagious.
Christine Ko, professor of dermatology at Yale University, said early on monkeypox can "look like pustules with redness around them." Additionally, dermatologists describe red rashes in the genital or groin area. Ko said the monkeypox rash can also look like "swelling under the skin and redness associated with that."
What are the treatments for monkeypox (mpox)? Most cases of mpox are mild. Rest and home remedies including sitz baths, topical Vaseline, antihistamines (Benadryl) for itching, and pain medications, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil), may be all you need to recover.
To get a specimen to test, the healthcare provider will use a swab to rub vigorously across lesions of your rash. They will take swabs from more than one lesion. This swabbing may be uncomfortable but is necessary to get enough material to detect the mpox virus from the specimens.
Naming the disease:
Human monkeypox was given its name in 1970 (after the virus that causes the disease was discovered in captive monkeys in 1958), before the publication of WHO best practices in naming diseases, published in 2015.
It causes flu-like symptoms such as fever and chills, and a rash that can take weeks to clear. There's no proven treatment for mpox, but it usually goes away on its own.