Penicillin in late latent syphilis; results of therapy with procaine penicillin in aluminum monostearate.

Abstract

So much attention has been centered on penicillin therapy of asymptomatic syphilis and efforts to stabilize and streamline it, that the use of this new type of treatment for late latent syphilis has been relegated to the background. This subject was undertaken in order to determine, among other objectives, the therapeutic value of penicillin in late latent syphilis cases as to the outcome of serologic tests. A review of the recent annual reports of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health reveals that late latent syphilis comprises better than one-half of the total syphilis cases reported. For the purpose of this paper late latent syphilis is defined as asymptomatic syphilis of more than four years' duration with no clinical or laboratory evidence except a positive blood serologic test. There are many reasons for this apparent lack of interest in the treatment of late latent syphilis with penicillin since opinions vary