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What happens during the latent stage of syphilis?

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Scanning electron micrograph of Treponema pallidum, the spirochete bacterium that is the causative agent of syphilis. — syphilis Scanning electron micrograph of *Treponema pallidum*, the spirochete bacterium that is the causative agent of syphilis.

Following the secondary stage of syphilis, the disease enters a latent period. During this stage, there are no recognizable outward signs or symptoms of the infection.1

Despite the lack of physical symptoms, the infection remains present in the body, and serological tests for syphilis will remain positive for a long time. This latent phase can vary significantly in duration, ranging from a few months to a lifetime. While most untreated patients do not progress further, approximately one in four may eventually develop late, or tertiary, syphilis.1