Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (Jun 2023)

Gestational and congenital syphilis: gaps to be elucidated

  • Déborah Esteves Carvalho,
  • João Victor Andrade Pimentel,
  • Luise Oliveira Ribeiro da Silva,
  • Letícia Maria Cardoso Lima Rodrigues,
  • Leonardo Santana Andrade,
  • Carlos Ramon Costa Santana,
  • Marcelo Antônio Silva Menezes,
  • Eloyse Emanuelle Nunes Silva,
  • Gabryelle Eduarda Gama dos Santos,
  • Sayron Natanael Lopes Pereira Santos,
  • Breno Gustavo do Nascimento Gomes,
  • Letícia Almeida Meira,
  • Helga Machado de Farias Santos,
  • Izailza Matos Dantas Lopes

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1590/0037-8682-0038-2023
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 56

Abstract

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ABSTRACT Congenital and gestational syphilis are increasingly prevalent multisystemic infections in Brazil. This study aimed to present a case series of three children diagnosed with congenital syphilis even though their mother had unreactive treponemal tests. The VDRL (Venereal Disease Research Laboratory) titers of a 22-year-old mother with three pregnancies decreased after treatment. The mother did not have a reactive treponemal test, but all the three children were diagnosed with early congenital syphilis. This case series highlights the difficulty in diagnosing gestational and congenital syphilis in Brazil.

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