DST (Mar 2018)

Mixed infection and two different resistance profiles of treponema pallidum to macrolides identified in some clinical specimens of the same patient

  • Paola Brandão Ferreira de Oliveira,
  • Márcia Quinhones Pires Lopes,
  • Marize Quinhones Pires,
  • Harrison Magdinier Gomes,
  • Leonardo Barraza Lora,
  • José Augusto Nery,
  • Rosana Rocha Barros,
  • Philip Noel Suffys

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 30, no. 1

Abstract

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Syphilis represents a global public health problem. The resistance of Treponema pallidum to macrolides is related to the mutation in the 23S rRNA gene (A2058G). We reported a case of secondary syphilis in a 52 year old man presenting two profiles: the first one of susceptibility, and the other one of resistance, when we analyzed the 23S rRNA gene sequence from two different clinical specimens of the same infectious episode. DNA from T. pallidum from skin biopsy presented resistance profile, whereas T. pallidum DNA from blood presented a profile of susceptibility to macrolides. These results suggest it was mixed infection or reinfection.

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