OK, so this thread has made me curious.
Can a llama get syphilis? Or is it an entirely human disease?
I love this board SO fucking much!
I can’t find a definite answer by googling, because syphilis seems to be discussed online mostly in conjunction with other spirochete-caused diseases like leptospirosis and Lyme, which ARE zoonotic, and that confuses things.
Apparently animals do not normally become infected, and there is no animal reservoir. However, rabbits have been infected with the disease in experimental studies.
There is in fact a rumor, dating to Spanish colonial times, that llamas carry syphilis, but as far as I know that has no basis in fact.
Evidence of syphilis was found in a 11,000 year old bear skeleton from Indiana, but I am not aware of other archeological evidence from animals.
Ha! My Mom told my brother, sister, and me that syphilis came from men having sex with sheep. I guess that was baaaad information.
< Insert compulsery joke about Sheep/Scots/Kilts here. >
Sigh.
Carry on.