AIDSsyphilis is a mailing list created to discuss evidence suggesting chronic latent syphilis is a major co-factor in HIV activation and disease progression in sexually-acquired AIDS. This hypothesis was originally put forward in the 1980s by Berkeley physiologist Joan McKenna and New York physician Stephen Caiazza, and later by Toronto's John Scythes. It suggests the medical establishment, at least in North America, Africa, and Western Europe, has grossly undertreated syphilis, allowing the organisms to persist in most individuals, weakening their immunity to syphilis, while at the same time creating a population whose blood response and symptoms would be atypical upon re-infection. This list will examine the growing historical, epidemiological, immunological and serological evidence that this deadly bacterial disease, rampant among populations first struck by AIDS, is playing a major role in the current epidemic, with outdated blood tests making it impossible to reliably identify among people with AIDS. Contributions from medical professionals - especially those studying the immunopathogenesis of chronic bacterial infections - are most welcome.