Simultaneous primary and secondary syphilis: a case report in an immunocompetent patient

Abstract

Syphilis is a systemic infection that develops in different stages with clinical variability and is considered a great mimicker. The clinical stages are differentiated but sometimes occur simultaneously, especially in immunocompromised patients. Simultaneous primary and secondary syphilis (sPSS) is rare in immunocompetent patients, underscoring our present case. We report the case of a 23-year-old male patient, who developed numerous indurated ulcerations on the penile shaft and had extensive papular scaly plaques affecting mainly the palms and soles. Although many cases of sPSS are human immunodeficiency virus related, a high percentage of cases may occur in immunocompetent patients, underscoring the importance of the case presented.

Keywords

• Immunocompetent individual. Secondary syphilis. Primary syphilis. Treatment.