Prevalencia de sífilis gestacional y congénita en una maternidad pública de Montevideo, Uruguay, en los años 2018 y 2019 / Prevalence of gestational and congenital syphilis in a public maternity hospital in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 2018 and 2019

INTRODUCCIÓN: Pese a que la sífilis congénita es prevenible, la transmisión materno infantil es un problema de salud mundial. OBJETIVO: Determinar la prevalencia de sífilis gestacional activa y la prevalencia de sífilis congénita en el período comprendido entre 1 de enero de 2018 y 31 de diciembre de 2019 en la maternidad de referencia del sector público de Uruguay. METODOLOGÍA: Trabajo observacional, descriptivo y transversal. RESULTADOS: Se revisaron 11.949 historias clínicas siendo seleccionadas 107 pacientes en el año 2018 y 142 pacientes en el año 2019 que cumplían criterios de inclusión. La prevalencia calculada de sífilis gestacional fue de 20,8 cada 1.000 mujeres embarazadas (249/11.949), la incidencia de sífilis congénita fue de 1,0 cada 1.000 nacidos vivos (12/11.949). La mortalidad en ambos períodos fue de 0%. CONCLUSIONES: La prevalencia de sífilis gestacional aumentó en el período 2018-2019. Esta tendencia es consonante con el aumento de la prevalencia mundial. La prevalencia obtenida de 20,8 cada 1.000 mujeres embarazadas es alta de forma comparativa con los datos nacionales, a diferencia de la incidencia de sífilis congénita (1,0/1.000) inferior a las nacionales que oscilaban de 1,4 a 2,2 cada 1.000 nacidos vivos en los últimos años.

BACKGROUND: Although congenital syphilis is preventable, mother-to-child transmission is a worldwide health problem. AIM: To determine the prevalence of active gestational syphilis and the prevalence of congenital syphilis in the period between January 1, 2018 and December 31,2019 in the reference maternity unit of the public sector of Uruguay. METHODS: Observational, descriptive and cross-sectional work. RESULTS: 11,949 medical records were analyzed, 107 patients were selected in 2018 and 142 patients in 2019 who met the inclusion criteria. The calculated prevalence of gestational syphilis was 20.8 per 1000 pregnant women (249/11949), the incidence of congenital syphilis was 1.0 per 1,000 live births (12/11949). Mortality was 0% in both periods. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of gestational syphilis increased in the 2018-2019 period. This trend is consistent with the increase in prevalence worldwide. The prevalence obtained 20.8 per 1,000 pregnant women is high compared to national data, unlike the incidence of congenital syphilis (1.0/1,000) lower than the national ones that ranged from 1.4 to 2.2 per 1,000 live births in recent years.

[Steadfast and unconvincible : The eventful life and legacy of Heinrich Dreuw (1874-1934)]. / Unbeugsam und unbelehrbar : Das bewegte (Nach)leben des Heinrich Dreuw (1874­1934).

Syphilis is not a deadly disease anymore, thanks to antibiotics. But before their discovery, Paul Ehrlich presented the drug Salvarsan. Its efficacy was doubted and there were many disputes about it. The Berlin physician Heinrich Dreuw had been the most influential opponent-contemporaries and historians described him as being an antisemitic quack, but maybe they were wrong.

Neurosyphilis complicated with pial arteriovenous fistula: A rare case report.

INTRODUCTION: Neurosyphilis is a chronic, infectious disease of the central nervous system. Pial arteriovenous fistulae (PAVF) are rare vascular malformations. Both can cause vascular damage, but it is quite rare for both to present at the same time. PATIENT CONCERNS: Here we present a 66-year-old man with affective disorder, hypomnesia, and recent convulsions. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed cerebral swelling, hyperintensity in the cortex/subcortex, and multiple lacunar cerebral infarctions. Computed tomography angiography revealed the presence of a pial arteriovenous fistula. DIAGNOSES: Based on laboratory tests and imaging, diagnoses of neurosyphilis and pial arteriovenous fistula were made. INTERVENTIONS: Antisyphilis therapy was provided. OUTCOMES: Symptoms improved and antisyphilis treatment continued as an outpatient. No intracranial hemorrhage was seen 6 months later. CONCLUSION: Treponema pallidum infection may be related to the formation of PAVF, and may also promote the progression of it; however, further work is required to confirm this.

Analysis of EEG Lemple-Ziv complexity and correlative aspects before and after treatment of anti-syphilis therapy for neurosyphilis.

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of electroencephalogram (EEG) complexity in patients with neurosyphilis by comparing the changes of electroencephalogram Lempel-Ziv complexity (EEG-LZC) before and after anti-syphilis treatment. Methods The EEG complexity of neurosyphilis patients diagnosed in our hospital from July in 2015 to June in 2017 was analyzed and compared with other diagnostic results such as serology examination and cerebrospinal fluid examination. Results A total of 27 patients were diagnosed, including 19 males and 8 females, of which 6 were mesenchymal(cerebrospinal membrane and meningeal vascular), 16 were parenchymal(paralytic dementia, spinal cord tuberculosis and optic neuropathy), and 5 were asymptomatic. After intensive anti-syphilis therapy, the LZC increased significantly in all patients while the trend and degree of change were consistent with other diagnostic results. Conclusion The LZC can be used as one of the diagnostic indexes meanwhile the trend and degree of its change can be used as the reference index of curative effect to neurosyphilis.

[Evolution of treatment of syphilis through history]. / Evolución del tratamiento de la sífilis a lo largo de la historia.

In this article, we present a historical revision of syphilis treatment since the end of the XV century up until the current days. For centuries, it was understood that syphilis had been brought to Spain by Columbus after coming back from America. It became an epidemic soon after. Later on, it was spread all over Europe. The chronologic and geographic origin of this illness have been debated in recent years, however, there has been no agreement about it as yet. Mercury was the main used therapy for four and a half centuries, until the discovery of penicillin in 1943. This discovery changed the therapeutic approach to syphilis since then. Other remedies were used during this period. Guaiacum was one of them, but it was dismissed in the mid-sixteenth century. Iodides were also used, especially in the tertiary symptoms of the disease. The discovery of arsphenamine (Salvarsan) at the beginning of the XX century, used by itself at its onset and associated to mercury or bismuth later on, was a significant therapeutic contribution. Bismuth was in itself a great therapeutic asset. It displaced the use of mercury in an important way until 1943, when the appearance of penicillin became the treatment of choice.

Medical and Social Aspects of Syphilis in the Balkans from the mid-19th Century to the Interwar.

The current study presents some aspects of syphilis in the Balkan Peninsula from the 19th century until the Interwar. Ever since the birth of modern Balkan States (Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey and Serbia), urbanization, poverty and the frequent wars have been considered the major factors conducive to the spread of syphilis. The measures against sex work and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) were taken in two aspects, one medical and the other legislative. In this period, numerous hospitals for venereal diseases were established in the Balkan countries. In line with the international diagnostic approach and therapeutic standards, laboratory examinations in these Balkan hospitals included spirochete examination, Wassermann reaction, precipitation reaction and cerebrospinal fluid examination. Despite the strict legislation and the adoption of relevant laws against illegal sex work, public health services were unable to curb the spread of syphilis. Medical and social factors such as poverty, citizen's ignorance of STDs, misguided medical perceptions, lack of sanitary control of prostitution and epidemiological studies, are highlighted in this study. These factors were the major causes that helped syphilis spread in the Balkan countries during the 19th and early 20th century. The value of these aspects as a historic paradigm is diachronic. Failure to comply with the laws and the dysfunction of public services during periods of war or socioeconomic crises are both factors facilitating the spread of STDs.

Value of CXCL13 in diagnosing asymptomatic neurosyphilis in HIV-infected patients.

Diagnosing asymptomatic neurosyphilis (ANS) in HIV-infected patients is difficult. A recent report suggested that CXCL13 is a promising diagnostic marker for neurosyphilis in HIV-positive patients. However, whether CXCL13 can be a diagnostic marker for ANS in HIV-infected patients remains unknown. The purpose of our study was to determine the role of CXCL13 in diagnosing ANS in HIV-infected patients. This study comprised two study and three control groups. Two study groups included 12 HIV-infected patients with ANS and 25 patients with syphilis and HIV co-infection (without ANS). Three control groups included 9 patients with ANS without HIV infection, 25 HIV-infected patients without syphilis and 10 healthy volunteers. Concentrations of CSF CXCL13 were measured before and after neurosyphilis therapy. Our results showed that CSF CXCL13 concentrations were significantly increased in all of the HIV-infected patients with ANS, the 25 HIV patients with syphilis and the 9 ANS patients without HIV, but not in the patients of the other two control groups. CSF CXCL13 concentrations declined in the two study groups of patients following neurosyphilis therapy. Therefore, CSF CXCL13 concentrations could improve the diagnosis of ANS in HIV-infected patients.

Current status of syphilis vaccine development: need, challenges, prospects.

Syphilis is a multistage disease caused by the invasive spirochete Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum. Despite inexpensive and effective antibiotic therapy, syphilis remains a prevalent disease in developing countries and has re-emerged as a public health threat in developed nations. In addition to the medical burden imparted by infectious syphilis, congenital syphilis is considered the most significant infectious disease affecting fetuses and newborns worldwide, and individuals afflicted with syphilis have an enhanced risk for HIV transmission and acquisition. The global disease burden of syphilis and failure of decades of public health efforts to stem the incidence of disease highlight the need for an effective syphilis vaccine. Although challenges associated with T. pallidum research have impeded understanding of this pathogen, the existence of a relevant animal model has enabled insight into the correlates of disease protection. Complete protection against infection has been achieved in the animal model using an extended immunization regimen of γ-irradiated T. pallidum, demonstrating the importance of treponemal surface components in generation of protective immunity and the feasibility of syphilis vaccine development. Syphilis is a prime candidate for development of a successful vaccine due to the (1) research community's accumulated knowledge of immune correlates of protection; (2) existence of a relevant animal model that enables effective pre-clinical analyses; (3) universal penicillin susceptibility of T. pallidum which enhances the attractiveness of clinical vaccine trials; and (4) significant public health benefit a vaccine would have on reduction of infectious/congenital syphilis and HIV rates. Critical personnel, research and market gaps need to be addressed before the goal of a syphilis vaccine can be realized, including recruitment of additional researchers to the T. pallidum research field with a proportional increase in research funding, attainment of a definitive understanding of correlates of protection in humans, and engagement of industry/funding partnerships for syphilis vaccine production.

Utilidad de la inmunohistoquímica con anticuerpos antitreponema en el diagnóstico de la sífilis / Usefulness of Immunohistochemial Staining With Antitrepenomal Antibodies in the Diagnosis of Syphilis

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Syphilis treatment response among HIV-discordant couples in Zambia and Rwanda.

BACKGROUND: Syphilis continues to be a common sexually transmitted infection, despite the availability of inexpensive and effective treatment. Infection in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-discordant couples is important because syphilis increases the risk of HIV acquisition. Current US treatment guidelines recommend 1 dose of benzathine penicillin for early syphilis, irrespective of HIV status, but data from coinfected patients are limited. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 1321 individuals in 2 African HIV-discordant couple cohorts was performed. Cox proportional hazards analysis and multivariable modeling were used to assess predictors of serologic response to treatment at 180 days and 400 days. Modeling was performed for all episodes of positive rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test results and on a subset with higher RPR titers (≥1:4). RESULTS: A total of 1810 episodes of syphilis among 1321 individuals were treated with penicillin between 2002 and 2008. Although a positive RPR was more common in the HIV-infected partners, HIV infection did not impact the likelihood of serologic response to therapy (odds ratio [OR], 1.001; P = .995). By 400 days, 67% had responded to therapy, 27% were serofast, and 6.5% had documented reinfection. Prevalent infections were more likely to remain serofast than incident infections (33% vs 20% at 400 days). CONCLUSIONS: In 2 HIV-serodiscordant couple cohorts in Africa, incident syphilis had a very good likelihood of response to penicillin therapy, irrespective of HIV infection. This supports current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention treatment guidelines. A high proportion of prevalent RPR-positive infections remain serofast despite treatment.

Serological response to treatment of syphilis according to disease stage and HIV status.

BACKGROUND: Serology is the mainstay for syphilis diagnosis and treatment monitoring. We investigated serological response to treatment of syphilis according to disease stage and HIV status. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of 264 patients with syphilis was conducted, including 90 primary, 133 secondary, 33 latent, and 8 tertiary syphilis cases. Response to treatment as measured by the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) test and a specific IgM (immunoglobulin M) capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA; Pathozyme-IgM) was assessed by Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: Forty-two percent of primary syphilis patients had a negative VDRL test at their diagnosis. Three months after treatment, 85%-100% of primary syphilis patients had reached the VDRL endpoint, compared with 76%-89% of patients with secondary syphilis and 44%-79% with latent syphilis. In the overall multivariate Cox regression analysis, serological response to treatment was not influenced by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and reinfection. However, within primary syphilis, HIV patients with a CD4 count of <500 cells/µL had a slower treatment response (P = .012). Compared with primary syphilis, secondary and latent syphilis showed a slower serological response of VDRL (P = .092 and P < .001) and Pathozyme-IgM tests (P < .001 and P = .012). CONCLUSIONS: The VDRL should not be recommended as a screening test owing to lack of sensitivity. The syphilis disease stage significantly influences treatment response whereas HIV coinfection only within primary syphilis has an impact. VDRL test titers should decline at least 4-fold within 3-6 months after therapy for primary or secondary syphilis, and within 12-24 months for latent syphilis. IgM ELISA might be a supplement for diagnosis and treatment monitoring.