Gumma (source code)

= Gumma

A <gumma> is a destructive granulomatous lesion characteristic of late <syphilis>. It can involve <skin>, <bone> or internal <organs>, producing local damage through a chronic inflammatory process. It belongs to <gummatous syphilis>, rather than being another name for the primary <chancre>. <Syphilis treatment guidance by CDC>[Staging and tertiary manifestations: gummatous lesions]{ref}

The distinction illustrates how one infectious agent can produce different pathological patterns at different stages. A lesion's gross appearance, its microscopic inflammatory organization and evidence of the underlying <infection> are different observations. The category therefore describes a clinicopathological pattern, not a claim that every late syphilis presentation has the same anatomy or contains a readily visible organism.