ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: With the increasing incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and immunosuppressive therapy, the incidence of syphilis has been increasing. Given the fact that the above conditions may mask or obscure the usual clinical signs and symptoms of syphilis, a means of enhanced detection is essential. AIMS METHODS: The purpose of this study was to determine whether an immunoperoxidase method using an antibody against treponemes would increase the sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis in biopsies of patients with secondary syphilis. This was compared to serology and silver stain in cases of known syphilis. RESULTS: Immunoperoxidase for treponemes was at least as sensitive (9/10) as pathology (9/10), and more sensitive than conventional silver stain (6/10) or serology (7/10). CONCLUSIONS: In those equivocal cases of secondary syphilis, where confirmation is essential, immunoperoxidase for treponemes may be a useful adjunct.
Subject(s)
AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/diagnosis , Foot Dermatoses/diagnosis , Immunoenzyme Techniques/standards , Syphilis, Cutaneous/diagnosis , Treponema pallidum/isolation & purification , AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/pathology , Child , Foot Dermatoses/pathology , Humans , Male , Sensitivity and Specificity , Syphilis, Cutaneous/pathology , Treponema pallidum/enzymology , Treponema pallidum/immunologyABSTRACT
We studied 11 cases of mixed tumor of the skin with a polyclonal antibody against human type II collagen. Two of the cases were of the eccrine type, six were apocine, and three were malignant. In all of the benign cases of mixed tumor and in some of the malignant type, "chondroid" and mucinous portions stained. The clearly epithelial portions of the tumor stained as well, and staining was most intense in the eccrine types and least intense in the malignant types. The positive staining in mixed tumors may help elucidate the histogenesis of these unusual tumors as well as help differentiate among the various subtypes.
