Syphilis is caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. The diagnosis is based on clinical data and serological analysis; however, the sensitivity and specificity of such tests may vary depending on the type of test and stage of the infection. In order to overcome this premise, this study utilized the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of T. pallidum DNA in whole blood samples of patients with syphilis. The blood samples from patients with or without symptoms of syphilis, but with positive results in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), were included in this study. A venereal disease research laboratory (VDRL) test was performed for all collected sera samples. For PCR, the T. pallidum DNA was extracted from the collected blood samples and a specific primer set was designed to amplify 131 nucleotides of polA (Tp0105). The specificity of the primers was evaluated with the DNA of 17 different pathogens. From a total of 314 blood samples reactive in ELISA, 58.2% (183/314) of the samples were reactive in the VDRL test. In the PCR, 54% (168/314) of the ELISA-reactive samples were positive. In both tests (VDRL and PCR) 104 samples were positive. Of 104 positive samples for both tests, 71 were at the latent stage. Based on these results, it can be concluded that PCR with the designed set of primers can be utilized as a diagnostic method for T. pallidum detection in blood samples of patients with syphilis, especially those with latent infection. In addition, it can be utilized as a supplement for serological methods to improve the diagnosis of syphilis.
We estimated the prevalence of screening for prostate cancer in indigenous people in Brazil. We also studied how ethnicity, age, social conditions, lifestyle, and history of sexually transmitted infections are associated with altered prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values. This is a cross-sectional study with indigenous people, ≥ 40 years old, from Dourados reserve, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The patients underwent total PSA and rapid tests for syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C. PSA values were compared with sociodemographic conditions, presence of urological symptoms, clinical data on sexually transmitted infections, lifestyle, and family history of cancer. Out of the 498 men invited to participate in the study, 31.53% (157/498) were ≥ 40 years old and were included. The mean (±SD) age was 54.75 (±11.23) years, and 78.3% (123/157; 95% CI: 0.71–0.84) of the population never underwent any preventive examination for prostate cancer. The mean PSA value was 0.081 ng/mL for the 157 participants, and 4.4% (7/157) had > 2.5 ng/mL and 1.9% (3/157) had values ≥ 4 ng/mL. Rapid tests for STIs showed that 5.73% (9/157) of the participants had syphilis and 0.64% (1/157) had HIV, and Hepatitis B and C virus infection. The results showed that most indigenous people ≥ 40 years never underwent any preventive examination for prostate cancer, and 4.4% had an altered PSA exam result. Future studies should assess the factors that hinder adherence to prostate cancer screening, as well as the existence of a pathophysiological correlation between the occurrence of prostate cancer and STIs.
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