Cases Of Early Syphilis Research Articles

Congenital syphilis – Re-emergence of a much forgotten entity?

Congenital syphilis is a severe, disabling infection that occurs due to transmission of Treponema pallidum across the placenta. An increase in the incidence of congenital syphilis has been observed in developing countries. Here, we are reporting a case of early congenital syphilis who presented with desquamating papulosquamous lesions over multiple body parts along with moist erythematous and erosive lesions in the perianal and perioral regions. Reactive venereal disease research laboratory and T. pallidum hemagglutination assay test in child and parents confirmed the diagnosis of congenital syphilis.

Prevalence of syphilis and associated factors in the adult population treated at healthcare facilities in Vitória (ES), Brazil

Introduction: There are few population-sampling studies on the prevalence of syphilis in Brazil. Objectives: We aim to determine the seroprevalence of syphilis and identify factors associated with the infection in adult patients observed at six regional healthcare facilities in Vitória city, state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2010 and December 2011. For individuals included in the study, a Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) test and two treponemal tests (immunochromatographic and IgG ELISA assays) were performed. Demographic data, history of sexually transmitted infections, and behavioral data were collected. Results: Of the 1,502 subjects included in the study, 47% were men and 53% were women. The mean age was 41.63±14.57 years. The prevalence of syphilis was (0.9%; 95%CI 0.4–1.3) when a diagnosis of syphilis was considered with VDRL titers equal to or greater than 1:8. However, the prevalence was higher (2.8%) when a positive VDRL test, regardless of the titer, was considered. A multivariate analysis showed a significant association between syphilis and homosexual or bisexual behavior [OR=6.80; 95%CI 1.00–46.20], prior history of sexually transmitted infection [OR=16.30; 95%CI 3.61–73.41], the presence of a tattoo [OR=6.21; 95%CI 1.49–25.84], and cocaine use [OR=6.80; 95%CI 1.15–40.30]. The prevalence of positive treponemal test was 10.4%. Conclusion: The seroprevalence of active syphilis in this population was similar to that observed in other populational studies in Brazil. The high prevalence of positive treponemal tests may be due to the positive serological memory of a cured infection, but the results may also be due to cases of early or late syphilis that were not detected by the VDRL test.

Characteristics of the Largest Network Component of Individuals With or Exposed to Early Syphilis in Central Indiana: 2016 to 2017.

The surge of syphilis infections in the United States continues. This study examined the sexual networks of early syphilis cases to determine whether repeat infection, demographics, or behaviors differed among network components (groups of connected persons). We examined a retrospective cohort of all early syphilis cases in Central Indiana reported from January, 1, 2016, to January 24, 2018, in the state's reporting database. Cases were linked to their sexual partners and analyzed using UCINET and NetDraw. Attributes of network members were derived from disease intervention specialist interviews. Repeat cases were defined as those who also had ≥1 early syphilis infection at any time between 2011 and 2017. The resulting network included 1140 unique individuals, 436 cases and 704 contacts. We compared members of the main component, that is, the largest one, with the rest of the network using multiple logistic regression and network analyses. The network formed 197 separate components. The main component contained 473 individuals (41% of the cohort). Main component members were more likely to have repeat early syphilis, gonorrhea, Black race, male sex, and a history of methamphetamine use, and be HIV positive by multiple logistic regression. Results from multiple centrality measures indicated persons who might be most effective at disseminating information or fragmenting the main component. Network analysis identified a group of linked individuals most likely to be reinfected with syphilis in Central Indiana. Further investigation is needed to determine whether engaging such a high-risk group could better focus resources and decrease infections.

Syphilitic Balanitis of Follmann: Laboratory Pitfalls

We report a case of early syphilis, presenting as balanitis and papular syphilides in an HIV-infected patient, with a previous history of syphilis infection, which demonstrated a false negative VDRL testing due to a prozone phenomenon. This false negative response results from overwhelming antibody titers, which interfere with the proper formation of the antigen-antibody lattice network, necessary to visualize a positive flocculation test.

Unnamed Partners From Syphilis Partner Services Interviews, 7 Jurisdictions.

Reducing transmission depends on the percentage of infected partners treated; if many are missed, impact on transmission will be low. Traditional partner services metrics evaluate the number of partners found and treated. We estimated the proportion of partners of syphilis patients not locatable for intervention. We reviewed records of early syphilis cases (primary, secondary, early latent) reported in 2015 to 2017 in 7 jurisdictions (Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia, New York City, and San Francisco). Among interviewed syphilis patients, we determined the proportion who reported named partners (with locating information), reported unnamed partners (no locating information), and did not report partners. For patients with no reported partners, we estimated their range of unreported partners to be between one and the average number of partners for patients who reported partners. Among 29,719 syphilis patients, 23,613 (80%) were interviewed and 18,581 (63%) reported 84,224 sex partners (average, 4.5; 20,853 [25%] named and 63,371 [75%] unnamed). An estimated 11,138 to 54,521 partners were unreported. Thus, 74,509 to 117,892 (of 95,362-138,745) partners were not reached by partner services (78%-85%). Among interviewed patients, 71% reported ≥1 unnamed partner or reported no partners; this proportion was higher for men who reported sex with men (75%) compared with men who reported sex with women only (65%) and women (44%). Approximately 80% of sex partners were either unnamed or unreported. Partner services may be less successful at interrupting transmission in networks for men who reported sex with men where a higher proportion of partners are unnamed or unreported.

The Emerging Intersection Between Injection Drug Use and Early Syphilis in Nonurban Areas of Missouri, 2012-2018.

The national rate of syphilis has increased among persons who inject drugs (PWID). Missouri is no exception, with increases in early syphilis (ES), congenital syphilis, and PWID, especially in nonurban counties. Disease intervention specialist records for ES cases in Missouri (2012-2018) were examined. Drug use was classified as injection drug use (IDU) (opioid or methamphetamine) or non-IDU (opioid, methamphetamine, or cocaine). Rates were compared based on residence, sex of sex partner, and drug use. Rates of ES in Missouri increased 365%, particularly in small metropolitan and rural areas (1170%). Nonurban areas reported a higher percentage of persons with ES who used injection drugs (12%-15%) compared with urban regions (2%-5%). From 2012 to 2018, women comprised an increasing number of ES cases (8.3%-21%); 93% of women were of childbearing age. Increasingly more women in rural areas with ES also reported IDU during this time (8.4%-21.1%). As syphilis increases in small metropolitan and rural regions, access to high-quality and outreach-based sexual health services is imperative. Healthcare policy to equip health departments with harm reduction services and drug treatment resources offers an opportunity to impact both syphilis increases as well as health outcomes associated with IDU.

Ending the HIV Epidemic: Contributions Resulting From Syphilis Partner Services.

There is a high level of coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among persons diagnosed with syphilis in the United States. Public health workers at state and local health departments help inform exposed partners to sexually transmitted disease (STD)/HIV infections to facilitate early testing and treatment (partner services). The federal initiative, Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE), identifies 4 key strategies: diagnose, treat, prevent, and respond. This study describes the contributions of syphilis partner services to the EHE strategies in a county prioritized by the EHE plan. A retrospective record review of reported early syphilis cases (less than 1 year's duration) between 2016 and 2018 in the Indianapolis area was conducted to determine the extent of new HIV diagnoses, retention in HIV care, and other evidence-based HIV prevention interventions occurring after provision of syphilis partner services. A total of 752 partners to early syphilis were attempted to be notified of exposure. There were 1,457 case patients and partners that received STD/HIV prevention counseling; 400 partners received STD treatment, 352 partners learned their HIV status, and 22 received new HIV diagnoses, with 68% retained in medical care and 60% virally suppressed. Two thirds of partner services were completed within 21 days. New HIV positivity among partners to HIV-negative syphilis case patients was 3.5% and 14% among HIV-positive syphilis case patients. Partner services for syphilis was an effective method of addressing the EHE strategies, resulting in persons at risk tested, STD treatment provided, behavioral prevention counseling provided, and new HIV cases identified, leading to retention in medical care and viral suppression.

Prevalence of Self-reported Neurologic and Ocular Symptoms in Early Syphilis Cases.

Neurosyphilis, a complication of syphilis, can occur at any stage of infection. Measuring the prevalence of neurosyphilis is challenging, and there are limited data on the prevalence of neurologic or ocular symptoms among patients with syphilis. We sought to describe the prevalence of neurologic and/or ocular symptoms among early syphilis (ES) cases and the clinical management of symptomatic cases enrolled in the STD Surveillance Network (SSuN) Neuro/Ocular Syphilis Surveillance project. Persons diagnosed with ES were selected for interviews based on current health department protocols in 5 participating SSuN jurisdictions from November 2016 through October 2017. All interviewed ES cases were screened for self-reported neurologic and/or ocular symptoms. Additional clinical information on diagnostic testing and treatment for cases concerning for neurosyphilis/ocular syphilis was obtained from providers. Among 9123 patients with ES who were interviewed, 151 (1.7%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4%-1.9%) reported ≥ 1 neurologic or ocular symptom. Of the 53 (35%) who underwent lumbar puncture, 22 (42%) had documented abnormal cerebrospinal fluid, of which 21 (95%) were treated for neurosyphilis/ocular syphilis. Among the remaining 98 symptomatic patients with no documented lumbar puncture (65%), 12 (12%) were treated for and/or clinically diagnosed with neurosyphilis/ocular syphilis. We observed a low prevalence of self-reported neurologic and/or ocular symptoms in interviewed ES cases. Approximately one-third of ES cases who self-reported symptoms underwent further recommended diagnostic evaluation. Understanding barriers to appropriate clinical evaluation is important to ensuring appropriate management of patients with possible neurologic and/or ocular manifestations of syphilis.

1270. Population-Based Estimates of PrEP Access in Oregon, 2012–2016

BackgroundPrEP is an important HIV prevention modality. Population-based metrics of PrEP uptake and access are critical to the evaluation of public health efforts to increase PrEP use.MethodsUsing the Oregon All Payers All Claims administrative dataset, we determined the number of unique individuals at least 16 years of age starting PrEP, defined as at least one prescription of >30 days of Truvada, each year from 2012–2016. People with HIV or hepatitis B were excluded. We created two metrics of PrEP access in 2016: the number of individuals starting PrEP per 100K population and the number of individuals with a PrEP prescription in each of the four quarters of 2016 per 100K population (i.e., prevalent users). Using public health surveillance data, we created three metrics of PrEP need in 2016: the number of HIV diagnoses per 100K population; the number early syphilis and gonorrhea diagnoses per 100K population; and the number of acute or chronic hepatitis C diagnoses among patients aged 16–30 years per 100K population. We calculated six metrics of PrEP access-to-need by dividing each of the access measures by the need measures.ResultsThe number of individuals with a new PrEP prescription increased from 8 in 2012 to 571 in 2016. Most new PrEP users were men, aged 25–34 years, identified as white, lived in an urban area, had commercial insurance, and had an internal medicine PrEP prescriber. In 2016, there were 17.2 PrEP starts and 9.9 individuals with a PrEP prescription in all four quarters of 2016 per 100K population. There were 6.7 HIV cases, 136.0 early syphilis and gonorrhea cases, and 109.1 acute and chronic hepatitis C cases per 100K population. Per HIV diagnosis, there were 2.6 PrEP starts and 1.5 prevalent users. However, there were 0.13 PrEP starts and 0.07 prevalent users per early syphilis and gonorrhea diagnosis and 0.16 PrEP starts and 0.09 prevalent users per hepatitis C diagnosis. Women, people aged 16–24, people of color, and people in rural areas experienced lower PrEP access-to-need.ConclusionAccess metrics based on prevalent users (a measure of longer-term adherence to PrEP), STI diagnoses (a measure of HIV acquisition risk), and HCV diagnoses among those less than 30 years of age (a measure of need among people who inject drugs) may provide a more complete assessment of PrEP access-to-need than those based on PrEP starts and HIV diagnoses. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

Rapid Syphilis Testing for Men Who Have Sex With Men in Outreach Settings: Evaluation of Test Performance and Impact on Time to Treatment.

Rapid syphilis tests (RST) may shorten time to syphilis diagnosis and treatment while enhancing access to testing in outreach settings. There are limited data on the performance of RST in outreach settings in the US. We offered RST (Syphilis Health Check) at 6 outreach sites to men who reported having sex with men and no prior history of syphilis. Clients accepting RST were also tested with laboratory-based rapid plasma reagin (RPR) and reflex Treponema pallidum particle agglutination (TPPA) assay when RPR or RST were positive. Clients with positive RST were immediately referred to a sexually transmitted infection clinic. Those declining RST were screened with RPR and reflex TPPA only. The validity of the RST-based algorithm was compared with the RPR-based algorithm among participants receiving both. Time to treatment for those accepting RST was compared with those declining RST and to a historical control group screened in outreach settings with RPR and reflex TPPA before the availability of RST. Rapid syphilis test was accepted by 690 (64%) of 1081 eligible clients. Compared with RPR-based algorithm, RST sensitivity was 90%; specificity, 98.5%; positive predictive value, 47.4%; and negative predictive value, 98.5. The single false-negative case by RST was determined to be a late latent case by RPR/TPPA. Median time to treatment was 1 day (range, 0-6 days) for 9 of 690 accepting RST, compared to 9 days (range, 7-13 days) for 3 of 391 declining RST, and 9 days (range, 6-21 days) for 25 of 1229 historical controls (P < 0.0001). Compared with an RPR-based algorithm, RST identified all early syphilis cases. Although RST had high specificity and negative predictive value, the low positive predictive value resulted in additional assessments in a sexually transmitted infection clinic for some patients. However, RST use in outreach settings significantly decreased time to treatment for new syphilis cases.

1493. Effect of HIV Status on Early Syphilis Treatment Response in the Era of Combination Antiretroviral Therapy

BackgroundRates of incident early syphilis are increasing and HIV-coinfection is common. Syphilis treatment for HIV-positive individuals does not differ from that of the general population, although data published prior to combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) suggest that HIV-infected persons may be less likely to achieve expected serologic responses to treatment (SRT).MethodsWe conducted a cohort study of early syphilis diagnosed in a large HIV clinic and a public sexually transmitted diseases (STD) clinic in San Diego. SRT was defined as a fourfold or greater decline in rapid plasma reagin (RPR) titer following syphilis treatment. We compared SRT at 6 and 12 months post-treatment between HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected persons.ResultsOf 1,239 early syphilis cases reviewed, 742 (61%) were included in the analysis. Reasons for exclusion included lack of follow-up RPR (n = 454), nonreactive RPR at syphilis diagnosis (n = 33), and incomplete data (n = 10). Of those analyzed, 533 (72%) were HIV-positive; 168 (23%) HIV-negative; HIV status was unknown for 41 (5%). Overall, 449 (60%) and 657 (89%) of analyzed cases achieved SRT 6 and 12 months after treatment, respectively. HIV-positive cases were less likely to achieve SRT at 12 months than HIV-negative cases (464/533 [87%] vs. 160/168 [95%], P = 0.003, Figure 1), as were early latent syphilis cases (285/348 [82%]) vs. primary (102/117 [92%]) and secondary syphilis (264/277 [94%]) (Table 1).Table 1.Serologic Response to Treatment by Syphilis Clinical StageSyphilis StageRPR Titer ResponsePrimary N = 117Secondary N = 277Early Latent N = 348 P-Value6 months post-treatment ≥4-fold decline70 (60%)177 (64%)202 (58%) <4-fold decline47 (40%)100 (36%)146 (42%)0.32312 months post-treatment ≥4-fold decline108 (92%)264 (95%)285 (82%) <4-fold decline9 (8%)13 (5%)63 (18%)<0.001 ConclusionIn this cohort of early syphilis cases, most achieved SRT within 12 months of treatment, but only 60% achieved SRT within 6 months. Significantly lower 12-month SRT responses were seen in HIV-positive compared with HIV-negative persons and in early latent compared with primary and secondary syphilis. The impact of cART use, viral suppression, and treatment choice on outcomes is being analyzed.Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

Historical and Current Trends in the Epidemiology of Early Syphilis in San Francisco, 1955 to 2016.

Seventeen years into a sustained epidemic, early syphilis (ES) rates in San Francisco (SF) are continuing to increase and the demographics of the affected population are changing. We provide a historical overview of ES in SF among men who have sex with men (MSM) and describe trends in the epidemiology and disease investigation outcomes. We examined data from the SF Department of Public Health's patient-based registry of integrated STD surveillance, clinical, and field investigation data to describe demographic and behavioral characteristics of ES cases, as well as outcomes of syphilis partner services (PS). χ Tests were performed to examine categorical differences across periods. Analysis of variance was used to examine differences in continuous variables. In 2016, 1095 ES cases were reported among males in SF, a 219% increase from the 343 cases identified 10 years ago. Between 1996-1999 and 2010-2016, an increasing proportion of ES cases were among MSM younger than 25 years, nonwhite, and HIV negative (P < 0.05). A decreasing proportion of ES cases were assigned for PS, among whom a smaller proportion of reported sex partners were identified by name, resulting in an overall decline in the proportion of cases who had at least one named partner treated as a result of PS (Disease Intervention Rate) from 30.5 in 2000-2004 to 14.8 in 2010-2016. Syphilis case rates continue to increase in SF and the epidemic is expanding beyond a core population. Additional resources and innovative prevention approaches are needed to reduce the burden of syphilis among MSM.

The Epidemiology of Syphilis in New York City: Historic Trends and the Current Outbreak Among Men Who Have Sex With Men, 2016.

Male primary and secondary (P&S) and early latent syphilis cases have increased markedly in New York City (NYC) after a historic nadir in 1998. The majority of cases are among men who have sex with men (MSM). We describe the epidemiology of syphilis among NYC males to provide a model of how 1 jurisdiction collects, analyzes, interprets, uses, and disseminates local data to guide programmatic activities directed at syphilis control. We analyzed trends in reported infectious syphilis cases using routinely collected surveillance and case investigation data. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection status was ascertained by routine deterministic match between sexually transmitted infection and HIV surveillance registries, and self-report. We mapped diagnosing facilities to display the relative contribution of different public/private facilities. Characteristics of male syphilis cases diagnosed in public sexual health (SH) clinics were compared to those diagnosed elsewhere. During 2012 to 2016, male P&S syphilis case rates increased 81%, from 24.8 to 44.8/100,000 (1832 cases in 2016); the highest rates were among black non-Hispanic men. Overall, 87.6% (902/1030) of interviewed men in 2016 disclosed 1 or more male partner. The HIV coinfection rates are high among MSM with P&S syphilis (43.4%; 394/907 in 2016), but appear to be decreasing (from 54.1% in 2012). Maps highlight SH clinics' contribution to diagnosing P&S syphilis cases among men of color. HIV coinfection rates were lower among men with P&S syphilis diagnosed in SH clinics than among those diagnosed elsewhere (34%, SH clinics vs 49%; other settings, P < 0.0001). Syphilis infections continue to increase among MSM in NYC. Novel interventions responsive to the drivers of the current outbreak are needed.

Latent Syphilis Infection in Pregnancy: An Ultrasound Diagnosed Case of Penicillin Treatment Failure

We report a case of early latent syphilis (reactive serologic tests without clinical evidence of disease within 24 months from the onset of the infection) in pregnancy. Despite an appropriate maternal treatment with benzathine penicillin G, sonographic signs of fetal syphilis were detected. Follow-up scans, in addiction to serial serological tests, have allowed the identification of fetal infection and therefore the failure of antibiotic therapy. We highlight the importance of ultrasound in suspecting fetal infection and in evaluation of the fetal response after penicillin treatment.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Syphilis Summit-Diagnostics and Laboratory Issues.

Syphilis, caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum, is on the rise in the United States particularly among men who have sex with men. The disease is complex with varied clinical manifestations and challenges remain in the laboratory diagnostic setting because T. pallidum is noncultivable and no single test can accurately diagnose all stages of the disease. There are missed opportunities for the use of direct detection tests in primary and secondary syphilis. The increasing use of different reverse sequence algorithms for serology testing without validation in populations with varying risks for syphilis makes the interpretation of test results difficult; this has led to concerns about diagnostic errors or overtreatment. On the other hand, the traditional algorithm may miss some early primary syphilis cases, which is of concern in high-risk populations. The potential utility of rapid syphilis serology tests in different settings or populations remains to be determined. The implementation of better tests and appropriate testing algorithms together with laboratory guidelines for test use in general will lead to better diagnostic options for syphilis.

A Web Application to Facilitate Syphilis Reactor Grid Evaluations.

Many health departments use a "reactor grid" to determine which laboratory-reported syphilis serologic test results require investigation. We developed a Web-based tool, the Syphilis Reactor Grid Evaluator (SRGE), to facilitate health department reactor grid evaluations and test the tool using data from Seattle & King County, Washington. We developed SRGE using the R Shiny Web application framework. When populated with a data set including titer results and final disposition codes, SRGE displays the percent of verified early syphilis cases by serologic titer result and patient age in each cell of the grid. The results can be optionally stratified by sex, test type, and previous rapid plasma reagin titer. The impact of closing laboratory results without investigation in cells selected by the user is dynamically computed. The SRGE calculates the percent of all laboratory reports closed ("efficiency gained"), the proportion of all early syphilis cases closed without investigation ("case finding loss"), and the ratio of percent of cases identified for investigation to percent of all laboratory reports investigated ("efficiency ratio"). After defining algorithms, users can compare them side-by-side, combine subgroup-specific algorithms, and export results. We used SRGE to compare the current Public Health-Seattle & King County (PHSKC) reactor grid to 5 alternate algorithms. Of 13,504 rapid plasma reagin results reported to PHSKC from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2015, 1565 were linked to verified early syphilis cases. Updating PHSKC's current reactor grid could result in an efficiency gain of 4.8% to 25.2% (653-3403 laboratory reports) and case finding loss of 1% to 8.4% (10-99 fewer cases investigated). The Syphilis Reactor Grid Evaluator can be used to rapidly evaluate alternative approaches to optimizing the reactor grid. Changing the reactor grid in King County to close more laboratory results without investigation could improve efficiency with minimal impact on syphilis case finding.

Infectious and congenital syphilis in Canada, 2010-2015.

Syphilis is the third most commonly reported notifiable sexually transmitted infection (STI) in Canada, following chlamydia and gonorrhea, respectively. Rates of this STI have been rising rapidly in Canada since 2001. To summarize trends observed in syphilis rates for 2010 to 2015 in Canada. Laboratory-confirmed cases of infectious syphilis and early congenital syphilis were reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada by all of the Canadian provinces and territories. National infectious syphilis rates were computed, as were rates per sex, age group and province/territory. Rates of congenital syphilis were also calculated. From 2010 to 2015, the rate of infectious syphilis in Canada increased by 85.6%, from 5.0 to 9.3 cases per 100,000 population. In 2015, a total of 3,321 cases of infectious syphilis were reported, mainly in males (93.7%), among whom the rate was 17.5 cases per 100,000 males versus 1.2 per 100,000 females. The rate also rose faster among males in 2010-2015, a 90.2% increase versus 27.8% among females. Individuals aged 20-39 years had the highest rates. Across the provinces and territories, the highest rates of infectious syphilis were in Nunavut, British Columbia and Manitoba.​: The rate of congenital syphilis decreased from 2010 to 2014 (1.6 to 0.3 cases per 100,000 live births) before increasing to 1.5 cases per 100,000 live births in 2015, which corresponds to six reported cases. Rates of syphilis continue to rise in Canada, especially among young men, and this is consistent with trends in the United States of America and European Union. Based on data from Canada and from these regions, the sexual behaviour of men who have sex with men (MSM) is thought to be a major risk factor for syphilis.

Serological response to therapy following retreatment of serofast early syphilis patients with benzathine penicillin.

Some syphilitic patients remain in a serologically positive state after the recommended therapy. Although we often retreat patients in clinical practice, the optimal treatment protocol remains uncertain due to the paucity of data regarding serological response to retreatment and long-term outcomes. We examined rapid plasma reagin serological test results of 70 serofast early syphilis cases who were retreated with 2.4 million units of benzathine penicillin weekly for 3 weeks. Serological retreatment success was defined as a minimum 4-fold decrease in baseline rapid plasma reagin test antibody titre within 6 months. Thirty-four (48.6%) of the patients who failed to achieve serological cure at 6 months after initial therapy achieved serological cure at 12 months. Patients who had higher non-treponemal titres at baseline and at 6 months were more likely to exhibit serological cure after retreatment than those with lower titres. Our results suggest that the incremental benefit of retreating serofast patients with early syphilis is moderate, considering the almost 1:1 ratio of serological response to serofast state at follow-up.

Reported Cases of Neurosyphilis Among Early Syphilis Cases-United States, 2009 to 2015.

The surveillance of neurosyphilis, an uncommon but severe consequence of syphilis, is complex; surveillance classification of neurosyphilis requires a lumbar puncture and cerebrospinal fluid analysis. We examined the prevalence of reported neurosyphilis among primary, secondary, and early latent syphilis cases reported in the United States from 2009 to 2015. Overall, the prevalence of reported neurosyphilis from 2009 to 2015 was low (0.84%); however, this is likely an underestimate of the true burden in the United States.

882: Missed opportunities to prevent syphilitic stillbirths in the United States, 2016

During 2012-2016, the female primary and secondary syphilis rate more than doubled (111% increase) and the congenital syphilis rate increased 87%, including a rise in the number of syphilitic stillbirths from 15 to 41. Given this increase, we sought to describe reported cases of syphilitic stillbirths in the United States and identify potential opportunities for prevention. We reviewed national surveillance data for syphilitic stillbirths reported to the CDC in 2016 and described their clinical characteristics. In 2016, 41 syphilitic stillbirths were reported by 15 states. Overall, 98% of mothers had non-treponemal titers >1:16, and 56% were classified as early syphilis cases. Most (63%) reported syphilitic stillbirths occurred at an estimated gestational age ≥28 weeks. Nearly all cases (90%) can be categorized into four groups, each with opportunities for prevention: 51% of mothers were not tested or diagnosed with syphilis until time of delivery due to delayed or no prenatal care; 12% of mothers had a prenatal care visit but were not screened at the first visit; 10% of mothers were diagnosed with syphilis, but not treated; 17% of mothers screened negative at their first visit but subsequently acquired syphilis during the pregnancy and were not diagnosed until time of delivery of stillbirth, despite all having prenatal care. The remaining 10% were screened and treated, but still resulted in a stillbirth. Syphilitic stillbirths have increased substantially since 2012. Early prenatal care, adherence to the CDC recommendation to screen all pregnant women for syphilis at the first prenatal visit and to immediately treat those diagnosed, could prevent a proportion of syphilitic stillbirths. Those females who acquired syphilis during pregnancy may have been detected earlier with implementation of early third trimester syphilis screening. Moreover, clinicians should stress the importance of barrier protection during pregnancy to prevent the transmission and acquisition of syphilis during pregnancy as syphilis rates continue to rise nationally.