It is essential that healthcare providers are familiar with the full spectrum of
clinical presentations of syphilis. A rare manifestation of secondary syphilis
is the corymbiform (or corymbose) arrangement, in which a central greater papule
is surrounded by smaller satellite lesions. Very few reports of corymbiform
syphilis are available in current biomedical databases. We present the case of a
28 year-old HIV-infected male patient on regular, successful antiretroviral
therapy who developed an asymptomatic corymbiform maculopapular lesion in the
medial aspect of the right thigh. There were also a few brownish macular lesions
on the left sole. New serological tests for syphilis (which had been negative in
the past) were reactive. The coymbiform lesion slowly regressed and the
non-treponemal test reverted to negative after benzathine penicillin G
treatment. A review of the literature is provided. This is the first report of
corymbiform syphilis in an HIV-infected patient.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.