Clin Infect Dis

BackgroundOcular syphilis is an inflammatory eye disease due to Treponema pallidum infection. In the United States, syphilis rates have increased since 2000; clusters of ocular syphilis were reported in 2015. We investigated ocular syphilis in North Carolina to describe the epidemiology and clinical course of disease.MethodsWe reviewed syphilis cases reported to North Carolina during 2014\u20132015 and abstracted information from health department interviews for cases with ocular symptoms and no other defined etiology. To assess duration and severity of ocular symptoms, we also reviewed medical records and conducted structured interviews. We compared the prevalence of ocular manifestations among reported syphilis cases by demographic and clinical characteristics.ResultsAmong 4232 syphilis patients, 63 (1.5%) had ocular syphilis: 21 in 2014 and 42 in 2015, a 100% increase. Total syphilis cases increased 35% through 2015. No patient with ocular syphilis named another ocular syphilis patient as a sex partner. Patients presented in all syphilis stages; 24 (38%) were diagnosed in primary or secondary syphilis. Ocular manifestations were more prevalent among syphilis patients who were male, aged 6540 years, white, and infected with human immunodeficiency virus. No risk behaviors were associated with ocular syphilis. Among 39 interviewed patients, 34 (87%) reported reduced vision during infection; 12 (31%) reported residual visual symptoms posttreatment.ConclusionsIn North Carolina, ocular syphilis increased from 2014 to 2015 and may be due to increased recognition of ocular manifestations, or a true increase in ocular syphilis. Many ocular syphilis patients experienced vision loss; however, most improved posttreatment.CC999999/Intramural CDC HHS/United States2018-10-30T00:00:00Z29020152PMC574048

Neurosyphilis in Brazilian newborns: a health problem that could be avoided

Syphilis is a public health problem, especially in pregnant women, due to the risk of transmission to the fetus and the involvement of the central nervous system, causing neurosyphilis. A case-control study was carried out to analyze the variables associated with neurosyphilis in Brazilian newborns of pregnant women with syphilis admitted for childbirth. Newborns were submitted to treponemal and non-treponemal tests, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, and long bone radiography. Newborns diagnosed with neurosyphilis and congenital syphilis were defined as cases and controls, respectively. The length of hospitalization and mean cost of neurosyphilis treatment were also evaluated.Twenty-one cases of newborns with neurosyphilis and 42 controls with congenital syphilis were included in the study. Out of 63 pregnant women with syphilis, 95.2% (60/63) received prenatal care, 74.6% (47/63) were diagnosed with syphilis during this period, 31.9% (15/47) underwent treponemic tests, 80.8% (38/47) were treated with penicillin and only 46.8% (22/47) of the partners received the treatment. Clinical complications such as low birth weight were observed in 12.7% (8/63) of the newborns. About 50.8% (32/63) of the newborns were hospitalized due to syphilis complications and each case of neurosyphilis spent at least US$ 881.48 on treatment and hospitalization. The results showed that the prenatal coverage is not sufficient to prevent neurosyphilis. The late diagnosis of syphilis in pregnant women and inadequate follow-up of sexual partners may favor the vertical transmission of T. pallidum in pregnant Brazilian women. Thus, improving the quality of health services is important for a more effective control of neurosyphilis

Bad Blood at the Tuskegee Crossroads: Informational Ethics, Whistleblowing, and the Media

Question: How can we improve information literacy teaching methods in the health sciences? This paper describes one possible solution in the application of the ACRL Framework to whistleblowers, the media, and the Tuskegee Untreated Syphilis Study. The design of the instructional activity includes a lecture, workshop, assignment, and discussion essay. Setting/Participants/Resources: Communication Disorders Information Literacy students in a three-credit-hour class, INF 310, in a four-year, public master’s level institution. Brief Description: Based on experiences in this class, we examine how librarians in the health sciences can frame whistleblowing in the context of the Tuskegee Untreated Syphilis Study. We focus on in-class exercises based on the study which ran from 1932 to 1972 and followed 600 rural black men in Alabama with Syphilis. The researchers withheld diagnosis and treatment information. Peter Buxton finally succeeded in ending the study and is credited with the dawn of modern medical ethics. The social impact of the exposure of the study with the help of media intervention serves as an example of the value and influence of health information and the responsibility to maintain transparency. Evaluation Method: Pre and post-tests given during and after the semester to assess knowledge practice outcomes. Discussion essay via Canvas. Results/Outcomes: Post assessment data indicated that students had a better understanding of the value of health information within the context of the Tuskegee Untreated Syphilis Study and Peter Buxton’s actions. Conclusions: The ACRL framework addresses many of the difficult concepts inherent in health science information literacy instruction and provides an improved outline of how to teach the complexities of the ethical use of information

Unveiling Neurosyphilis: A Case Report on Presentation, Diagnosis, and Therapeutic Approach to Neurosyphilis

Neurosyphilis is a rare but serious complication of inadequately treated or untreated syphilis. It describes the infection of *Treponema pallidum* in the central nervous system (CNS), the bacterium responsible for syphilis. This condition can present at any stage of syphilis, but it most often occurs years after the initial infection, especially if left untreated. Neurosyphilis can mimic a range of psychiatric and neurological disorders, making it a diagnostic challenge. Despite the global decrease in syphilis cases following the advent of penicillin, there has been a resurgence in recent years, including cases of neurosyphilis, particularly among immunocompromised individuals such as those with HIV. This report discusses a case of neurosyphilis in a 48-year-old male with progressive cognitive decline, focusing on diagnostic, therapeutic, and management approaches

Complicações da Sífilis Gestacional e a Importância do Pré-Natal Adequado

Introdução: O Treponema pallidum é uma bactéria responsável por causar a sífilis. Essa condição pode ser transmitida por via sexual, sanguínea e vertical. A sífilis gestacional, se não realizada o tratamento adequado, pode acarretar em repercussões materno-infantil. A sífilis congênita é uma condição onde o feto já está infectado por essa transmissão vertical, possibilitando um aumento da morbimortalidade. O pré-natal adequado é recomendado para prevenção dessas condições. Objetivo: Analisar a possíveis complicações que a sífilis gestacional pode acarretar, além de analisar a importância do pré-natal adequado para prevenção dessas complicações. Método: Trata-se de uma revisão integrativa dos últimos 5 anos, do período de 2019 a 2024, utilizando as bases de dados da Literatura Latino–Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS) e BDENF. Os descritores utilizados foram: "pré-natal" "adequado" "prevenção". Foram encontrados 33 artigos, sendo eles submetidos aos critérios de seleção. Os critérios de inclusão foram artigos que se relacionavam à proposta estudada e que foram disponibilizados na íntegra. Os critérios de exclusão foram relatos de caso, artigos que não se relacionavam à proposta estudada e que foram disponibilizados na forma de resumo. Resultados e Discussão: A SG requer intervenção imediata, no intuito de reduzir a transmissão para o feto. Nesse sentido, a identificação, por meio do acompanhamento pré-natal adequado, no mínimo 6 consultas, é importante para o rastreamento dessa condição e, se identificado, iniciado o tratamento, com objetivo de impedir a infecção fetal, se ainda não infectado, ou se já infectado, minimizar os danos. Essa infecção pode acarretar em complicações como aborto, obito fetal, compromeitmento auditivo, fisico e visual. Conclusão: Nessa perspectiva, nota-se a importância do pré-natal para o rastreamento e tratamento dessa condição, auxiliando na redução da morbimortalidade. As complicações dessa infecção vão desde formas assintomáticas até o óbito fetal

CONSEQUÊNCIAS DA SÍFILIS CONGÊNITA PARA O RECÉM-NASCIDO: UM ESTUDO DE REVISÃO

O presente estudo objetivo descrever as principais consequências da sífilis congênita para o recém-nascido. Trata-se de um estudo de revisão integrativa da literatura cujos dados foram coletados nas bases de dados da Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS) e Scientific Eletronic Library Online (SCIELO), publicados no período compreendido entre 2016 a 2021. Os resultados apontaram que as principais consequências para o recém-nascido são prematuridade, baixo peso ao nascer e o óbito. Foi evidenciado ainda a presença de icterícia, deficiência auditiva, doença renal, retardo mental associados a neurossífilis, além da hepatomegalia, lesões cutâneas e má formação congênita. A sífilis congênita é uma doença facilmente prevínível, desde que seja realizado o diagnóstico precoce na gestante e o seu tratamento adequado durante o período gestacional. Desta forma, durante o pré-natal, o profissional de saúde tem papel fundamental, no sentido de promover ações preventivas e assistenciais efetivas, garantindo assim uma assistência de qualidade, voltado para o adequado tratamento da mãe e seu parceiro, evitando assim as futuras complicações para o feto