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Implementing a syphilis elimination and importation control strategy in a low-incidence urban area: San Diego County, California, 1997-1998.

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed a strategy designed to contain imported cases of syphilis and prevent reestablishment of ongoing transmission. METHODS: Reported syphilis cases during an endemic period (1990-1992) and an elimination period (1997-1998) were compared in San Diego, Calif. The elimination strategy, which focuses on rapid reporting of infectious syphilis cases by clinicians, prompt partner and sexual network management, outreach to marginalized populations, and implementation of an outbreak containment plan, was evaluated. RESULTS: Infectious syphilis incidence rates declined from 18.3 per 100,000 in 1998 to 1.0 per 100,000 in 1998. Of the 46 cases involving probable infection during 1997-1998, 19 (41%) were imported, mostly (79%) from Mexico. Outbreak containment procedures were implemented successfully for 2 small clusters. Outreach workers provided sexually transmitted disease information to a large number of individuals; however, no cases of infectious syphilis were identified, suggesting that syphilis transmission was not occurring among marginalized groups. CONCLUSIONS: This syphilis elimination and importation control strategy will require monitoring and adjustments. Controlling syphilis along the US-Mexico border is a necessary component of syphilis elimination in the United States.

California↗

Prevalence of transfusion-associated viral infections and syphilis among blood donors in Muhimbili Medical Centre, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the seroprevalence of the main transfusion-associated viral infections and syphilis among blood donors in Muhimbili Medical Centre, Dar es salaam, Tanzania. DESIGN: Cross sectional study. SETTING: The blood bank unit of Muhimbili Medical Centre in Dar es salaam, Tanzania. SUBJECTS: A consecutive sample of 300 blood donors. INVESTIGATIONS: Search for the presence of antibodies to: human immunodeficiency virus (anti-HIV), hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV), hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs), human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (anti-HTLV-1), syphilis and for hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg). RESULTS: The overall frequency of anti-HIV, anti-HCV, anti-HBs, HbsAg, anti-HTLV-1, and syphilis antibodies were 8.7%, 8%, 20%, 11%, 0%, and 12.7%, respectively. Among the HIV seronegative donors, the frequency of anti-HCV, anti-HBs, HBsAg, anti-HTLV-1, and syphilis antibodies were 8.8%, 22%, 11%, 0%, and 10.9%, respectively. HIV-seropositive donors had an increased risk for being positive for syphilis antibodies (OR = 3.6, 95% CI 1.4-9.0) and HBsAg (OR = 4.0, 95% CI 1.0-18.8), but not anti-HCV (OR = 0.9, 95% CI 0.86-0.97), anti-HBs (OR = 1.0, 95% CI 0.2-5.3) or anti-HTLV-1 (OR = 0.0). CONCLUSION: Donor blood including that from HIV-seronegative donors, has high frequency of HCV, HBV, and syphilis antibodies but not anti-HTLV-1. A significant association exists in the occurrence of HIV, HBV and syphilis; and due to the association of syphilis and HIV, clients with history of sexually transmitted disease should be excluded during donor selection. From these observations were recommend: (i) routine screening of donor blood for HIV, HCV, HBV, and syphilis antibodies but not HTLV-1 and; (ii) a larger study to generate more accurate estimates of the magnitude the transfusion-transmissible infectious diseases.

Adolescent↗

Primary and secondary syphilis--United States, 1999.

In October 1999, CDC, in collaboration with other federal partners, launched the National Plan to Eliminate Syphilis in the United States. In 1998, Congress initiated funding for the syphilis elimination effort. Syphilis elimination is defined as the absence of sustained transmission (i.e., no transmission after 90 days of the report of an imported index case). The national goal for syphilis elimination is to reduce primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis to <1000 cases (rate: 0.4 per 100,000 population) and to increase the number of syphilis-free counties to 90% by 2005. To describe the epidemiology of syphilis in the United States, CDC analyzed notifiable disease surveillance data for 1999. This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which indicate that, in 1999, P&S syphilis declined to a rate of 2.5 cases per 100,000 population, the lowest rate ever reported, and that syphilis transmission increasingly is concentrated in a few geographic areas.

Female↗

[Treatment of syphilis in pregnancy and its perinatal prognosis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of treatment of syphilis in pregnancy on perinatal prognosis. METHODS: Patients of syphilis in pregnancy from Hainan Provincial People's Hospital and Haikou Municipal Maternal and Child Health Center during 1995.1 to 2001.1 were collected for retrospective analysis. Pregnant women with syphilis were divided into treated group and untreated group according to whether they received penicillin anti-syphilis treatment or not during pregnancy. RESULTS: The total number of deliveries in the 2 hospitals during that period was 18,701, and 61 out of 9,805 women screened for syphilis were positive, giving an incidence of 6.2/1000. The perinatal mortality rates were 11.2% in treated group and 83.3% in untreated group, and incidences of congenital syphilis were 17.6% and 72.7% respectively. CONCLUSION: Syphilis in pregnancy is a serious complication to harm the fetus. Screening of syphilis during pregnancy is necessary, and penicillin treatment is effective which may reduce the perinatal mortality rate and the birth of congenital syphilis baby.

Adult↗

Secondary syphilis-related oral ulcers: report of four cases.

Establishing a diagnosis of syphilis, whatever the stage of the disease, can be difficult because syphilis is a great mimic in clinical morphology and histology. Many patients infected with venereal diseases have oral manifestations, but very few dentists and physicians have the proper experience to diagnose syphilis or other STDs from oral lesions. Oral secondary syphilis appears to be very uncommon, and few cases have been reported over the recent past. We present 4 patients who developed secondary syphilis-related oral lesions of moist ulcers, irregular linear erosions termed 'snail-track' ulcers, or erythematous mucous patches on the labial mucosa, buccal mucosa, palate, or tongue. Concurrent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection was diagnosed in 1 patient. The histological examination in 2 patients showed dense subepithelial inflammatory cell infiltration comprised predominantly of plasma cells, and it was of practical help in the diagnosis of syphilis. The diagnostic value of a histological examination, serologic tests, and treatment of syphilis are discussed. Obviously, coinfection with HIV will complicate the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of syphilis. Concurrent HIV infection should be considered in any patient with a sexually transmitted disease including syphilis.

Adult↗

Syphilis and human immunodeficiency virus co-infection.

Co-infection of syphilis and AIDS has profound implications for the African American community. The purpose of this review is to: evaluate the historical background of HIV and syphilis and their similarities in pathogenesis; review the epidemiology of syphilis and HIV co-infection, and implications for continued prevention efforts; examine the effect of syphilis on HIV transmission and acquisition; and, to examine the effects of HIV infection on syphilis transmission, diagnostic and serologic changes, clinical course, and treatment. The prevalence of HIV is higher in those with syphilis; moreover, the prevalence of HIV and syphilis co-infection is highest in African Americans. There may be humoral and cellular immune similarities. HIV may affect the transmission of syphilis, alter its serologic diagnosis, and accelerate and change the clinical course and response to treatment. In conclusion, combined infection of HIV and syphilis may alter the clinical presentation and course of either disease. There are historical and immunologic similarities and the high prevalence in African Americans compared to other groups is of great importance for prevention efforts.

Black or African American↗

[Syphilis--diagnosis, treatment and characteristics in HIV-infected patients].

Venereal syphilis is a chronic cyclic infectious disease that, if untreated, runs a decades-long course. The responsible pathogen is Treponema pallidum. Clinically, a differentiation is made into early (primary) syphilis (up to 1 year following infection, syphilis I), during which disease manifestations are localized, secondary syphilis (syphilis II) with generalized manifestations, and late, or tertiary syphilis (syphilis III). Clinical manifestations that have been observed in HIV patients are syphilis maligna and neurosyphilis. Treatment of choice continues to be penicillin. Instead of only a single injection of penicillin, HIV infected patients with early syphilis should be given three injections, with an interval of 1 week between them, to prevent the development of neurosyphilis.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗

Transmission of primary and secondary syphilis by oral sex--Chicago, Illinois, 1998-2002.

During 1998-2002, the STD/HIV Prevention and Care Program of the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) recorded 1,582 cases of primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis, the most of any U.S. city. Although case numbers and overall rates remained stable in Chicago during this period, patterns of transmission changed substantially. Throughout most of the 1990s, P&S syphilis was reported almost exclusively among heterosexuals. During 1998-2000, however, men who have sex with men (MSM) accounted for approximately 15% of Chicago's P&S syphilis morbidity. Since 2001, MSM have accounted for nearly 60% of patients with P&S syphilis. During 2000-2002, CDPH conducted interviews with persons with syphilis; some MSM reported they had engaged in only oral sex and were surprised to have acquired syphilis. In response, CDPH began collecting information on oral sex from persons with syphilis. To assess the role of oral sex in the transmission of P&S syphilis in Chicago, CDPH analyzed surveillance data and interview responses. This report summarizes the results of these analyses, which suggested that a substantial proportion (13.7%) of syphilis cases were attributed to oral sex, particularly among MSM. Persons who are not in a long-term monogamous relationship and who engage in oral sex should use barrier protection (e.g., male condoms or other barrier methods) to reduce the risk for sexually transmitted disease (STD) transmission.

Chicago↗

Syphilis treatment response in HIV-infected individuals.

The adequacy of treatment for syphilis has routinely been evaluated by the serological response, i.e. the rapid plasma reagin test (RPR). Since the description of AIDS and HIV aspects of both the natural history of syphilis and the response of Treponema pallidum to treatment have come under increased scrutiny. With concurrent epidemics of HIV and syphilis in New York City, a serological case-control study was done to determine whether HIV-infected individuals given treatment for primary or secondary syphilis have a modified serological response. All study participants had primary or secondary syphilis and paired specimens available for testing. Cases were defined as people who were HIV-positive and were compared with controls who were HIV-negative. HIV-infected patients with primary syphilis when compared with HIV-negative controls were less likely to have a fourfold or greater RPR decrease or seroreversion within 6 months of treatment [15 out of 28 versus 153 out of 210; odds ratio = 0.4, P less than 0.05]. Cases and controls with secondary syphilis had similar serological responses after treatment for syphilis. Although this study adds to the growing body of literature which suggests that HIV may alter the RPR response, prospective studies are needed to determine definitively whether HIV alters the serological response to therapy in patients with early syphilis.

Adolescent↗

The incidence of prenatal syphilis at the Boston City Hospital: a comparison across four decades.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the incidence and epidemiologic correlates of congenital syphilis at an inner-city Boston hospital, and draw comparisons with the situation at the same hospital 40 years ago. DESIGN: Chart review and comparison with data collected in 1951. SETTING: Maternity and pediatric services at Boston City Hospital. METHODS: A study conducted in 1951 on the maternity service of Boston City Hospital in which demographic data were collected on all women admitted in labor over a 5-month period was replicated. Serologic testing for syphilis was carried out on these women, and the demographic and medical correlates of positive maternal syphilis serology were examined. This study was repeated exactly 40 years later, using the cord blood screening for syphilis done routinely at delivery and a review of prenatal records. RESULTS: From a group made up largely of married white women in 1951, the study population shifted in 1991 to a group made up mostly of minority women, with 75% unmarried. In 1951, 24 patients were diagnosed with syphilis either before or during the pregnancy, giving a prevalence rate of 2.4%. In 1991, 25 of 647 women were diagnosed with syphilis, for a prevalence rate of 3.9%. The women with positive cord blood serologies had a higher rate of other sexually transmitted diseases and substance abuse. No symptomatic cases of congenital syphilis were seen in 1951 or in 1991, although at least 11 of the 26 infants born to mothers with positive serologies in 1991 received intravenous penicillin therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The continued prevalence of diagnosed syphilis in women at delivery reflects an inner-city epidemic of congenital syphilis that is tied to substance abuse, human immunodeficiency virus, and changing social patterns, as well to older problems of serologic screening, prenatal care, treatment failures, and maternal reinfection. It is essential that screening programs be maintained and improved in this high-risk population, and that infants born to mothers with positive serologies receive full and adequate treatment if there is any doubt at all about their infection status.

Adult↗

Human immunodeficiency virus seropositivity in adolescents with syphilis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between syphilis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among inner-city, minority group adolescents. METHODS: From August 1989 through June 1990, serum from all positive serologic tests for syphilis, obtained from patients attending a comprehensive adolescent health center in an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome epicenter and its two school-based clinics, were frozen without patient identifiers and were subsequently screened for HIV by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with confirmatory Western blot for positives. In addition, a retrospective chart review was performed for all patients with a positive serologic test for syphilis during the study period. RESULTS: Of the 59 specimens with a positive syphilis serologic test, 9 (15.3%) were HIV seropositive. Of the patients with syphilis, 57.4% were black and 42.6% were Hispanic; 16.4% were male (mean age 18.1) and 83.6% were female (mean age 17.8). Only 1 subject (female) was an injection drug user; 4 of the male subjects self-identified as having had sex with other males. Of the subjects, 27.8% had primary, 19.7% had secondary, and 52.5% had latent syphilis at the time of diagnosis. A prior or concurrent sexually transmitted disease was present in 90% of the males and 80% of the females; gonorrhea was the most prevalent sexually transmitted disease in the males (89%) and chlamydia was most prevalent in the females (35%). A history of chancroid and/or herpes was present in 16.4% of the subjects. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that the diagnosis of syphilis in an adolescent is a risk factor for HIV infection. All sexually active adolescents should be routinely screened for syphilis, regardless of sexual practices. Those with syphilis should be specifically counseled about their increased risk for HIV infection and the importance of consistent condom use, and they should be referred for formal HIV pretest counseling.

Adolescent↗

Primary and secondary syphilis--United States, 1997.

Syphilis is an acute and chronic sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by infection with Treponema pallidum. The disease is characterized by skin and mucous membrane lesions in the acute phase (primary and secondary [P&S] syphilis) and lesions of the bone, viscera, and cardiovascular and neurologic systems in the chronic phase. Because syphilis enhances transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), prevention of syphilis is important for controlling HIV. During 1986-1990, an epidemic of syphilis occurred throughout the United States. Syphilis rates began to decline in 1991 and have declined each year since that time. To determine whether this decline is reflected in changes in the epidemiology of syphilis, CDC analyzed notifiable disease surveillance data for 1997. This report summarizes the findings of the analysis, which indicate that 8551 cases of primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis were reported in 1997, an 83% decline in cases from the peak of the epidemic in 1990, and that syphilis remains substantially more common in non-Hispanic blacks than in other racial/ethnic groups and continues to be concentrated in the Southern region of the United States [corrected].

Black or African American↗

[Syphilis. Clinical aspects of Treponema pallidum infection].

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection by Treponema pallidum. Without antibiotic treatment syphilis lasts for several decades and may develop up to 4 different clinical stages. Usually, the disease begins with a distinct painless and indurated ulcer at the contact site: the primary chancre. An indolent regional lymph node swelling is usually associated with the syphilitic chancre. After spontaneous healing of the primary lesion and several weeks of latency, the clinical symptoms of secondary syphilis occur. Treponema pallidum bacteremia leads to common symptoms like fever and malaise, but also to a generalized lymphadenopathy, and a broad variety of lesions of the skin and mucosal membranes. Non-pruritic transient exanthems often involving palms and soles, condylomata lata, and a specific angina with mucous patches of the oral cavity are prominent signs. After several relapses, which are characterized by a decreasing intensity of clinical symptoms, secondary syphilis then resolves spontaneously. A second period of latency follows, lasting 3-12 years. Then the outcome of untreated syphilis becomes apparent: spontaneous healing by elimination/inactivation of the spirochetes (75%) or transition to tertiary syphilis (25%). Two kinds of granulomatous skin reactions are typical for tertiary syphilis: superficial nodular syphilids and gummas. The bones, as well as the cardiovascular and central nervous system, may also be involved. Finally, metasyphilis with severe and sometimes lethal neurological symptoms (tabes dorsalis, progressive paralysis) occurs 10 to 30 years after primary infection. Except for irreversible tissue destruction which occurs prior to therapy, all stages of syphilis can be cured completely.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗

Lues-lues: maternal and fetal considerations of syphilis.

Although syphilis occurs infrequently among Canadian and American women, global antenatal screening is still warranted. The reason is that congenitally acquired syphilis is serious, yet largely preventable. Those women at highest risk for the disease seem to be crack and cocaine users, as well as those without antenatal care. These women should be screened for syphilis during the first and early-third trimesters, whenever possible, or at the time of delivery. HIV testing should be routinely recommended. Syphilis is diagnosed using microscopy and/or serologic testing. Although nontreponemal serology (VDRL and RPR) is acceptable as the initial screening test, sensitivity and specificity for syphilis vary between 60 and 75 percent and 84 and 99 percent, respectively. These are also many causes of false-positive test results. Treponemal serology (FTA-ABS and MHA-TP) are used to confirm nontreponemal tests. The only acceptable treatment of syphilis during pregnancy is penicillin. For those with disease of less than 1 year's duration, it is suggested that two doses of benzathine penicillin G (2.4 million units I.M.) be administered 1 week apart. Disease of greater or unknown duration requires a longer, modified regimen. Serious adverse reactions to therapy are rare, and penicillin-allergic mothers can be skin tested, followed by desensitization if required. Exactly how HIV infection modifies the detection and treatment of syphilis in pregnancy is unclear. Treatment of HIV-infected women with syphilis is presently no different than non-HIV patients, unless invasion of the central nervous system is suspected.

Female↗

Predictive value of serologic tests for syphilis in otology.

Otologic syphilis (luetic inner ear disease) usually is diagnosed by positive serologic tests and by exclusion of other possible causes. Because the FTA-ABS for syphilis is exquisitely sensitive in all but early primary cases, a positive FTA-ABS result and coincident inner ear disease often are thought to be diagnostic of syphilitic inner ear disease. The result is a management dilemma: are there false-positive results in misdiagnosed cases? Over 4 years, the authors performed a prospective study with time-matched controls to determine the predictive value of serologic tests and prevalence of syphilis in otology. Thirty-one cases of otologic syphilis were diagnosed in 5,439 new (different) patients with otologic complaints. In the geographic area studied, this prevalence (570/100,000) was 25-fold greater than that of all reported cases of syphilis in the general population (22.7/100,000). The defined sensitivity of the FTA-ABS (100%) was nearly twofold greater than the measured sensitivity of the rapid plasma reagin (RPR, 55%) in otologic syphilis. Specificities were comparable; therefore, a positive FTA-ABS had higher predictive value than a positive RPR. The prevalence-related predictive value of a positive FTA-ABS (22%) was more than twice that of the RPR (9%) in otology. The predictive value of a positive FTA-ABS in otology was 11-fold greater than that of the FTA-ABS in the general population (2%). Therefore, in suspect cases the FTA-ABS should be used to screen for otologic syphilis in an otologic practice. At a prevalence of 570 cases in 100,000 patients, only 22% of otologic patients with positive FTA-ABS results actually have otologic syphilis. Because disease morbidity can be far worse than treatment morbidity, however, positive results should be considered true-positives to avoid misdiagnosis in potentially infected patients. In suspect cases with positive FTA-ABS, therefore, treatment should be recommended unless specific contraindications exist.

Adolescent↗

Syphilis in the 'unbooked' pregnant woman.

To determine the prevalence of syphilis in the 'unbooked' pregnant woman attending King Edward VIII Hospital, Durban, mothers who had no previous history or record of antenatal care were studied over a 3-month period. One hundred and fourteen mothers were recruited, 35 (30.7%) of whom had reactive syphilis serology. None had clinical evidence of primary or secondary syphilis. Clinical evidence of congenital syphilis was found in 4 of the 35 (11.5%) babies born to mothers with reactive syphilis serology. While the fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA-ABS) IgG test was positive in umbilical cord and neonatal venous blood of all 35 babies, the FTA-ABS IgM test was negative in all specimens, including the sera from the 4 babies with clinical signs of syphilis. The FTA-ABS IgM test is therefore of little value for the laboratory confirmation of congenital syphilis. It also has limitations when it comes to screening asymptomatic neonates born to mothers with reactive syphilis serology.

Adult↗

The effects of syphilis on endocrine function of the fetoplacental unit.

Several pregnancy complications that are thought to cause chronic intrauterine stress have been found to lead to inappropriate fetal development and reductions in estrogen production. In the current study we sought to evaluate the fetoplacental unit in pregnancies complicated by maternal syphilis (n = 37), with and without fetal infection. Maternal 17 beta-estradiol and estriol levels were reduced during the third trimester in women with syphilis when compared with those in women with uncomplicated pregnancies. Serum progesterone levels were within normal limits or else were increased in women with syphilis. When compared with data in age- and weight-matched control infants of women having no pregnancy complications, umbilical cord serum levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, the major fetal adrenal precursor of placental estrogens, were subnormal (897 +/- 597 ng/ml, mean +/- SD) in 12 newborn infants with congenital syphilis (33.9 +/- 4.2 weeks' gestation, birth weight 2020 +/- 719 gm); such infants also had excessive serum levels of cholesterol (103 +/- 37 mg/dl). Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (1883 +/- 907 ng/ml) and cholesterol (58.1 +/- 13.9 mg/dl) levels were within normal limits in 19 uninfected infants of women with syphilis (38.6 +/- 2.4 weeks' gestation, birth weight 2861 +/- 660 gm). Cortisol levels were increased and estriol levels were decreased in both groups of neonates of women with syphilis compared with those in control neonates. These findings are suggestive that estrogen production often is reduced in pregnancies complicated by syphilis; the reduction in estriol appears to be largely due to reduced fetal adrenal dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate production. The reduction in 17 beta-estradiol levels may be due to alterations in maternal precursor synthesis. Although placental progesterone formation appears to be normal in women with syphilis, a deficiency in placental aromatase activity also is possible.

Cholesterol↗

Fetal syphilis: clinical and laboratory characteristics.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the pathophysiology of fetal syphilis and correlate hematologic, immunologic, and sonographic findings. METHODS: Twenty-four women with untreated syphilis during pregnancy were prospectively identified. Sonography with amniocentesis and percutaneous umbilical blood sampling were performed. Darkfield examination, rabbit infectivity testing, and polymerase chain reaction for detection of Treponema pallidum were performed on amniotic fluid. Hematologic and chemical testing of fetal blood was performed using standard techniques. Fetal antitreponemal IgM was detected by Western blot assay. Maternal syphilis was treated with 2.4 to 4.8 million units of benzathine penicillin G intramuscularly. Neonatal outcomes and signs of congenital syphilis were recorded. RESULTS: Six women had primary, 12 had secondary, and six had early latent syphilis. Sixty-six percent of fetuses (95% confidence interval [CI] 47%, 82%) had either congenital syphilis or detection of Treponema pallidum in amniotic fluid. Sixty-six percent had hepatomegaly, including three fetuses (12.5%, 95% CI 4%, 31%) with ascites. Fetal antitreponemal IgM was detected in three cases. Abnormal liver transaminases were found in 88% (CI 69%, 96%), anemia in 26% (CI 13%, 47%), and thrombocytopenia in 35% (CI 19%, 55%). Maternal treatment was successful in 83% (CI 64%, 93%). Risk of treatment failure was significantly increased when hepatomegaly and ascites were present (P =.01). CONCLUSION: Findings with fetal syphilis are similar to those of neonatal syphilis. We hypothesize that fetal transaminase elevation occurs early in the course of infection; hematologic abnormalities and hydrops occur later. Severity of disease may be associated with risk of treatment failure.

Adult↗