Penicillin Treatment of Early Syphilis: II

Mahoney, John F.; Arnold, R. C.; Sterner, Burton L.; Harris, Ad; Zwally, Margaret R.

doi:10.1001/jama.1984.03340390059032

Cited by 35 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…2 The introduction of penicillin in the 1940s 3 decreased the long-term perception of syphilis as a principal public health scourge. 4 The later development of benzathine penicillin G led to a drastic decrease in syphilis incidence in the US and other industrialised countries, from 76 per 100 000 population in 1945 to 4 per 100 000 population in 1955–57.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of the syphilis epidemic among men who have sex with men

Solomon¹,

Mayer²

2015

Sex. Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Syphilis has existed for millenni, but its epidemiology was only recently linked to men who have sex with men (MSM) after the introduction of penicillin in the 1940s; the syphilis epidemic became concentrated within the MSM community in subsequent decades. The HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s led to a surge of new syphilis cases and revealed the potentiation between HIV and syphilis, as evidenced by a shift in the natural history of neurosyphilis. In response, MSM revolutionised their sexual behaviour by implementing community-driven seroadaptive strategies to stem HIV transmission. The Centers for Disease Control in the US called for the elimination of syphilis in the late 1990s since the rates had fallen sharply but this effort was overtaken by a resurgence of global outbreaks among MSM in the 2000s, many of which were linked to methamphetamine use and sexual networking websites. Syphilis remains highly prevalent today, especially among MSM and individuals infected with HIV, and it continues to present a significant public health conundrum. Innovative syphilis prevention strategies are warranted. MSM engaging in high-risk behaviour such as condomless anal receptive intercourse, sex with multiple partners or recreational drug use should be routinely screened for syphilis infection; they should also be counselled about the limits of seroadaptive behaviours and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis as they relate to syphilis transmission.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of the syphilis epidemic among men who have sex with men

Solomon¹,

Mayer²

2015

Sex. Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In 1943, Dr. John Heller succeeded Dr. Vonderlehr as director of the Division of Venereal Diseases ( 1 ). One year later, penicillin became the therapy of choice for syphilis ( 19 ), and in 1947 PHS established rapid treatment centers across the country. There was no discussion of treating the men enrolled in the study.…”

Section: The Phs Syphilis Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Fiftieth Anniversary of Uncovering the Tuskegee Syphilis Study: The Story and Timeless Lessons

Tobin

2022

Am J Respir Crit Care Med

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the uncovering of the Tuskegee syphilis study, when the public learned that the Public Health Service (precursor of the CDC) for 40 years intentionally withheld effective therapy against a life-threatening illness in 400 African American men. In 2010, we learned that the same research group had deliberately infected hundreds of Guatemalans with syphilis and gonorrhea in the 1940s, with the goal of developing better methods for preventing these infections. Despite 15 journal articles detailing the results, no physician published a letter criticizing the Tuskegee study. Informed consent was never sought; instead, Public Health Service researchers deceived the men into believing they were receiving expert medical care. The study is an especially powerful parable because readers can identify the key players in the narrative and recognize them as exemplars of people they encounter in daily life—these flesh-and-blood characters convey the principles of research ethics more vividly than a dry account in a textbook of bioethics. The study spurred reforms leading to fundamental changes in the infrastructure of research ethics. The reason people fail to take steps to halt behavior that in retrospect everyone judges reprehensible is complex. Lack of imagination, rationalization, and institutional constraints are formidable obstacles. The central lessons from the study are the need to pause and think, reflect, and examine one’s conscience; the courage to speak; and above all the willpower to act. History, although about the past, is our best defense against future errors and transgressions.

show abstract

“…Syphilis is a critical public health problem worldwide. Although the incidence of syphilis infection in the USA and Western Europe decreased after the introduction of penicillin in the early 1940s [ 1 , 2 ], a resurgence in syphilis transmission that began in the 1980s has now gained substantial strength. Beginning in the 2000s, a growing number of isolated syphilis outbreaks were reported in North America, Europe, and Australia, primarily within sexual networks of men who have sex with men (MSM), and often associated with HIV co-infection or co-transmission [ 3 – 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Syphilis in the Americas: a protocol for a systematic review of syphilis prevalence and incidence in four high-risk groups, 1980–2016

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundSyphilis infection has recently resurfaced as a significant public health problem. Although there has been a tremendous amount of research on the epidemiology of syphilis, there has been limited work done to synthesize the extensive body of research and systematically estimate patterns of disease within high-risk groups in the Americas. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to (1) summarize recent patterns of syphilis infection in North and South America among four high-risk groups (MSM, transgender women, sex workers, and incarcerated individuals) from 1980 to 2016, (2) identify and differentiate regional geographic epidemiologic characteristics, and (3) compare the epidemics of the economically developed countries of North America from the developing countries and public health systems of Latin America and the Caribbean.Methods/designPrimary studies reporting syphilis prevalence and/or incidence in at least one of the four high-risk groups will be identified from Medline/PubMed, Embase, Lilacs, SciELO, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest, CINAHL, Clase, and Periódica, as well as “gray” literature sources (conference abstracts, country reports, etc.). Studies published from 1980 through 2016 will be included. Data will be extracted from studies meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria and a random effects meta-analysis of prevalence and incidence estimates will be conducted. Heterogeneity, risk of bias, and publication bias will be assessed. Pooled prevalence and incidence estimates will be calculated for comparisons based on geographic region, risk factors, and time period.DiscussionOur systematic review and meta-analysis aims to contribute to an improved understanding of global epidemiologic patterns of syphilis infection in most-at-risk populations. Through systematic classification of the existing literature, and comparison of disease patterns across regional, temporal and socio-behavioral differences, we hope to improve public health surveillance and improve efforts to control the spread of disease across the Americas.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42016047306.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13643-017-0595-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

show abstract

Penicillin Treatment of Early Syphilis: II

Cited by 35 publications

References 0 publications

Evolution of the syphilis epidemic among men who have sex with men

Evolution of the syphilis epidemic among men who have sex with men

Fiftieth Anniversary of Uncovering the Tuskegee Syphilis Study: The Story and Timeless Lessons

Syphilis in the Americas: a protocol for a systematic review of syphilis prevalence and incidence in four high-risk groups, 1980–2016

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About