Epidemiological study in Brazilian women highlights that syphilis remains a public health problem

Barbosa, Marcelo dos Santos; Lima, Leticya Aparecida de; Ribeiro, Suzana Meira; Croda, Júlio; Queiroz, Júlio Henrique Ferreira de Sá; Ortolani, Lais Gonçalves; Negrão, Fábio Juliano; Souza, Elaine Costa; Silva, Késia Esther da; Souza, Ronaldo Omizolo de; Simionatto, Simone

doi:10.1590/s1678-9946202163004

Cited by 9 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…However, what also draws attention in this scenario is the trend of affected women. Of note, the number of cases of syphilis among Brazilian women aged 15-49 years is proportionately higher than the global prevalence (Barbosa et al, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…However, what also draws attention in this scenario is the trend of affected women. Of note, the number of cases of syphilis among Brazilian women aged 15–49 years is proportionately higher than the global prevalence (Barbosa et al, 2021). Linked to this, socioeconomic variables such as low levels of schooling were frequent in this population, as also reported in Argentina, China, and the United States (Barbosa et al, 2021; Korenromp et al, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Of note, the number of cases of syphilis among Brazilian women aged 15–49 years is proportionately higher than the global prevalence (Barbosa et al, 2021). Linked to this, socioeconomic variables such as low levels of schooling were frequent in this population, as also reported in Argentina, China, and the United States (Barbosa et al, 2021; Korenromp et al, 2018). Nonetheless, cultural influence should not be ruled out, since regions in South America still have taboos about women's sexual activity and routine screening as well as stigmas attached to their reproductive health (Chandra‐Mouli et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Acquired oral syphilis: A multicenter study of 339 patients from South America

et al. 2021

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Objective To report the clinicopathologic features of acquired oral syphilis cases in South American countries. Materials and Methods Clinical data were retrospectively collected from the records of 18 oral diagnostic services in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Uruguay, and Peru. Serologies of nontreponemal and treponemal tests were used for diagnosis. Results The series comprised 339 cases of acquired oral syphilis. Secondary syphilis ranked as the most common stage (86.7%). Lesions were more frequent among males (58.0%) and young adults with a mean age of 33.3 years. Individuals aged 20–29 years were most affected (35.3%). The most commonly involved sites were the tongue (31.6%), lip/labial commissure (25.1%), and hard/soft palate (20.4%). Clinically, acquired oral syphilis usually presented as mucous patches (28.4%), papules (25.7%), and ulcers (18.1%). Skin manifestations occurred in 67.7% of individuals, while lymphadenopathy and fever were observed in 61.3% and 11.6% of all subjects, respectively. Most patients were treated with the benzathine penicillin G antibiotic. Conclusion This report validates the spread of acquired oral syphilis infection among young adults in South America. Our directives include accessible diagnostic tools for proper disease screening, surveillance, and counselling of affected individuals, especially in low‐ and middle‐income countries.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Acquired oral syphilis: A multicenter study of 339 patients from South America

et al. 2021

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“…According to our results, primary health care coverage in Brazil was negatively correlated with the GS detection rate. Social and geographic factors (e.g., cities sharing borders with other countries, large food industries, mining, and important highways) also increase the flow of people and the transmissibility of sexually transmitted diseases [ 38 , 39 , 40 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal Trend of Gestational Syphilis between 2008 and 2018 in Brazil: Association with Socioeconomic and Health Care Factors

Dantas

Marinho

Pinheiro

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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The increased number of cases in recent years has turned syphilis into a global public health problem. In 2020, 115,371 cases of acquired syphilis were reported (detection rate of 54.5 cases/100,000 inhabitants) in Brazil. In that same period, the country notified 61,441 cases of gestational syphilis (detection rate of 21.6 per 1000 live births). The number of syphilis cases points to the need to reinforce surveillance, prevention, and infection control actions, which is a worrying scenario for government organizations. This study aims to describe the temporal trend of gestational syphilis from 2008 to 2018 in Brazilian regions and to associate its detection rate with socioeconomic and health care indicators. We conducted an ecological study of temporal trends using secondary data from the Department of Informatics of the Unified Health System. The temporal trend was analyzed using the Joinpoint Regression program. The annual percent change (APC) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were estimated and tested; statistical significance was assessed using the Monte Carlo permutation test. Correlations were assessed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and statistical significance was calculated using Pearson’s product-moment correlation. The gestational syphilis detection rate increased between 2008 and 2018. The South region showed the greatest trend, whereas the Midwest region presented the lowest trend. The following variables were significantly correlated with the gestational syphilis detection rate: Municipal Human Development Index, illiteracy rate, percentage of primary health care coverage, and proportion of doctors, nurses, and basic health units per inhabitant. Health policies are needed to mitigate social vulnerabilities and strengthen primary health care.

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“…In Brazil, the number of syphilis cases steadily increased from 3,936 (2010) to 155,975 (2019) notified cases, according to a report by the Brazilian Ministry of Health 3 . Above all, a significant increase in cases among women has been reported, from 1,472 to 62,485 notified cases 3 , 4 . Based on the clinical data, syphilis is divided into three infectious stages (primary, secondary, and early latent) and two non-infectious stages (late latent and tertiary); these stages contribute to the orientation of the treatment and the follow-up of this infection 5 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Detection of Treponema pallidum in whole blood samples of patients with syphilis by the polymerase chain reaction

Queiroz

Correa

Ferreira

et al. 2022

Rev. Inst. Med. trop. S. Paulo

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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.

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Epidemiological study in Brazilian women highlights that syphilis remains a public health problem

Abstract: This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.

Cited by 9 publications

References 17 publications

Acquired oral syphilis: A multicenter study of 339 patients from South America

Acquired oral syphilis: A multicenter study of 339 patients from South America

Temporal Trend of Gestational Syphilis between 2008 and 2018 in Brazil: Association with Socioeconomic and Health Care Factors

Detection of Treponema pallidum in whole blood samples of patients with syphilis by the polymerase chain reaction

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