Treponema pallidum pallidum, the agent of venereal syphilis, is transmitted by sexual contact and can be spread across the placental barrier. The congenital form can occur at any stage of maternal syphilis [1]. During the syphilis epidemic, Torella first described the neonatal form of venereal disease [2]. However, it was not until the early 20th century, when the spirochete bacterium was biologically isolated that differential diagnosis with other venereal diseases (e.g. gonorrhea) could be performed [3].
