Sir William Osler described syphilis as “The Great Imitator”, because syphilis mimics so many other diseases and syndromes, as it spreads and evolves over time. Syphilis (Treponema Pallidum) was one of the first diseases recognized to start with an acute infection, and then be followed by a latent (hidden) stage, as the pathogen evolved into other symptoms and syndromes, including headache, arthritis, swollen lymphatics, loss of muscle coordination, dementia, numbness, paralysis and gradual onset blindness.
Chlamydia species can also evolve from an acute infection into a chronic disease, can have a latent stage, and can evolve into variable symptoms and diseases. Chronic chlamydia can migrate to other parts of the body, through the blood, lymphatics, smooth muscle, and by migration to adjacent tissue; and inside infected macrophages, as a Trojan horse in the immune system.
In chronic chlamydia, the symptoms change and evolve over time, and cause diverse chronic diseases, depending on the organ and system attacked, as the pathogens proliferate.
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