Publications

seroprevalence of human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis b and c viruses and syphilis among blood donors in koudougou (burkina faso) in 2009.	background: the high prevalence of numerous transfusion-transmitted infectious diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus (hiv), hepatitis b virus (hbv), hepatitis c virus (hcv) and syphilis in sub-saharan africa affects the safety of blood for recipients. this study was undertaken with the aim of determining the seroprevalence of hiv, hcv, hbv, syphilis and socio-demographic risk factors associated with blood donation in a new regional blood transfusion centre in burkina faso. material and m ...	2011	21839011
malignant syphilis with ocular involvement in an hiv-infected patient.	malignant syphilis is now considered a rare disease, more commonly affecting individuals with poor health, malnutrition or hiv infection. we present a 34-year-old man with hiv infection who developed multiple atypical cutaneous ulcerations, leonine facies, a scleral nodule and keratitis with visual loss. the diagnosis of malignant syphilis was delayed due to the insidious presentation, but was confirmed via immunohistochemical (ihc) staining with anti-treponema antibodies of a skin biopsy. signi ...	2011	21571984
[meningovascular neurosyphilis as the cause of ischemic cerebrovascular disease in a young man].	authors report a case of a 35-year-old male with right-sided mild paresis, incontinence, dysexecutive syndrome, short-term memory loss and behavioral changes. bilateral cerebral infarcts in the region of the caudate nuclei and the adjacent white matter were proved by brain mri and multiple stenoses of the branches of willis-circle were confirmed by mr angiography. elevated protein level and pleocytosis were found in the cerebrospinal fluid with intrathecal igg synthesis. serum rapid plasma reagi ...	2011	21498167
risky sexual behavior among patients in turkey with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and heroin addiction.	aim. risky sexual behavior associated with such sexually transmitted infections (stis) as hepatitis b and c, herpes, treponema pallidum, and neisseria gonorrhoeae, is more frequent among psychiatric patients and parenteral drug abusers than the general population. the aim of this study was to investigate risky sexual behavior in psychiatric outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia (sch), bipolar disorder, and heroin addiction (ha), and to compare them with those observed in healthy controls. me ...	2011	21492406
laryngeal syphilis: a case report.	syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the spirochete treponema pallidum. the complexity of the disease gained it the moniker "the great imitator"; it was william osler who said, "he who knows syphilis, knows medicine." in 1866, patrick watson of edinburgh, scotland, reported a case of a 36-year-old man in whom syphilis destroyed the larynx.(1) the diagnosis was made postmortem. it was once believed that this was the first reported total laryngectomy, but the credit should actually ...	2011	21422316
treponema infection associated with genital ulceration in wild baboons.	the authors describe genital alterations and detailed histologic findings in baboons naturally infected with treponema pallidum. the disease causes moderate to severe genital ulcerations in a population of olive baboons (papio hamadryas anubis) at lake manyara national park in tanzania. in a field survey in 2007, 63 individuals of all age classes, both sexes, and different grades of infection were chemically immobilized and sampled. histology and molecular biological tests were used to detect an ...	2011	21411621
[neurosyphilis: unexpected reunion with an old acquaintance].	a 45-year-old man was admitted to a psychiatric hospital with confusion and disorientation; he was suspected of having korsakoff syndrome. he was known to have a history of alcohol abuse, complicated by epileptic fits, and to have had a recent ischaemic cerebrovascular attack. unexpectedly, screening for syphilis turned out to be positive. examination of the cerebrospinal fluid led to the diagnosis of neurosyphilis. most neurological and psychiatric symptoms disappeared after treatment with anti ...	2011	21319069
human papillomaviruses prevalence and genital co-infections in hiv-seropositive women in ouagadougou (burkina faso).	the vaginal swabs among hiv-positive women in africa often revealed opportunistic infections such as human papillomavirus (hpv) and mycoplasma that induce respectively cervix cancer and diseases such as vaginosis, abortions, infertility in through salpingitis. the purposes of this study were to: (1) seek for, the prevalence of pathogens such as hpv and mycoplasma; (2) characterize the strains of hpv and estimate their prevalence; (3) identify among these women, those who were co-infected by thes ...	2010	21313918
[serological markers in immigrant and spanish pregnant women in granada].	female immigration from less developed countries into spain has grown in number over the years, and could contribute to changing the prevalence of routine serological markers in pregnant women.	2010	20961669
case records of the massachusetts general hospital. case 26-2010. a 54-year-old man with loss of vision and a rash.		2010	20818848
production of proinflammatory cytokines in the human thp-1 monocyte cell line following induction by tp0751, a recombinant protein of treponema pallidum.	the tissue destruction characteristic of syphilis infection may be caused by inflammation due to treponema pallidum and the ensuing immune responses to the pathogen. t. pallidum membrane proteins are thought to be potent inducers of inflammation during the early stages of infection. however, the actual membrane proteins that induce inflammatory cytokine production are not known, nor are the molecular mechanisms responsible for triggering and sustaining the inflammatory cascades. in the present s ...	2010	20596832
characterization and serologic analysis of the treponema pallidum proteome.	treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum is the causative agent of syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease characterized by widespread tissue dissemination and chronic infection. in this study, we analyzed the proteome of t. pallidum by the isoelectric focusing (ief) and nonequilibrating ph gel electrophoresis (nephge) forms of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2dge), coupled with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (maldi-tof) analysis. we determined the identity of 148 t. ...	2010	20385758
risk factors and prevalence of tuberculosis, human immunodeficiency virus, syphilis, hepatitis b virus, and hepatitis c virus among prisoners in pakistan.	the objective of this study was to evaluate the burden of sexual- and injection drug use-related infections in male prisoners in karachi, pakistan.	2010	20189863
sexually transmitted diseases and anorectum.	sexually transmitted diseases (std) are a major public health problem because their incidence is increasing worldwide despite prevention campaigns and because they raise the risk of hiv infection. anorectal localisations of std are common among men who have sex with men (msm) but can also be seen among heterosexuals (men or women). transmission of such infections is due to anal sex or to other sexual behaviours like "fisting". although some pathogens (like human papillomavirus-hpv) are common in ...	2009	20163035
clinical presentation and imaging of general paresis due to neurosyphilis in patients negative for human immunodeficiency virus.	the clinical presentations and mri of six patients with general paresis due to neurosyphilis were reviewed. diagnosis was based on neurological and psychiatric symptoms, positive treponema pallidum hemagglutination in cerebrospinal fluid (csf) and sera, and serology that was negative for human immunodeficiency virus by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. most patients had lymphocytic, monocytic pleocytosis and high protein levels in their csf. one patient had periodic lateral epileptiform dischar ...	2010	20080408
sero-epidemiology of transfusion-transmissible infectious diseases among blood donors in osogbo, south-west nigeria.	transfusion-transmissible infectious agents such as hepatitis b virus (hbv), human immunodeficiency virus (hiv), hepatitis c virus (hcv) and syphilis are among the greatest threats to blood safety for transfusion recipients and pose a serious public health problem. this cross-sectional study was undertaken with the aim of determining the seroprevalence of hiv, hcv, hepatitis b surface antigen (hbsag) and syphilis and correlates the findings with sex and age to ascertain the associations, if any, ...	2009	20011640
seroprevalence of hiv, hsv-2, and treponema pallidum in the kosovarian population.	the objective of this study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of infection with hiv, herpes simplex virus type 2 (hsv-2), and treponema pallidum (tp) in a kosovarian population. a cross-sectional study was performed in peja, kosovo, from january to march 2005, among 1285 persons recruited at the peja hospital. the seroprevalence of hiv, hsv-2, and tp was evaluated, and the viral correlates for each infection were analysed. no hiv-positive cases were found. the seroprevalence of hsv-2 was 20.2%. ...	2009	20001281
infectious antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus patients.	infections can act as environmental triggers that induce or promote systemic lupus erythematosus (sle) in genetically predisposed individuals. new technologies, developed recently, enable simultaneous assessment of multiple antibodies. antibodies to specific infectious agents may shed light into the mechanisms of induction of sle. the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of seropositivity and the titers of antibodies to bacterial, viral, and parasitic agents in sle patients compar ...	2009	19880558
prolonged maintenance of spirochetes and filtrable viruses in the frozen state.	1. observations are reported on the virulence of various types of spirochetes and filtrable viruses after storage at - 787deg;c. for periods up to 3 years. 2. five specimens of treponema pallidum belonging to 4 different strains, and 7 specimens of t. pertenue belonging to 5 different strains were tested after storage for approximately 3 years. with one exception each specimen contained actively motile treponemes, and all specimens were highly pathogenic for rabbits. many other specimens of thes ...	1939	19870935
brain lesions of the domestic rabbit.	lesions of meningoencephalitis were found in 55 per cent of 372 rabbits comprising the laboratory stock regarded as healthy, others with snuffles or dying from different affections while being kept under observation, and still others which were employed for experimental purposes, such as tumor transplantation and treponema pallidum inoculation. none was injected intracerebrally. the lesions consist in the main of infiltration with mononuclear cells occurring around the blood vessels, in the meni ...	1924	19868834
studies on treponema pallidum and syphilis : iv. the difference in behavior in immune serum between cultivated non-virulent treponema pallidum and virulent treponemata from lesions.	although antibodies can be produced by the immunization of animals with cultivated treponema pallidum, and although these antibodies exert specific agglutinative and treponemicidal action upon the culture organisms, they possess, at least in the concentration so far obtained by us in rabbits and sheep, practically no action for virulent treponemata obtained directly from lesions. there seems to be in the infected body an inability to exert a purely serum action upon the virulent treponemata, a c ...	1916	19867992
the direct cultivation of treponema pallidum pathogenic for the monkey.	a method for the direct cultivation of treponema pallidum from human syphilitic lesions, by the employment of a solid medium, has been described. by means of it, three of the four strains worked with were successfully cultivated. the several pure cultures agree in morphological and cultural characters, grow only in the presence of sterile tissue under anaerobic conditions, and do not produce putrefactive odors. the morphology is typical under optimum cultural conditions; it becomes atypical when ...	1912	19867508
ocular syphilis associated with syphilitic resurgence in a human immunodeficiency virus-infected man.	optometrists provide an important service to the community, often acting as the first health care provider a patient consults. many patients will present with ocular complaints that have systemic associations. in addition to diabetes, hypertension, and rheumatologic disorders, optometrists can encounter the ocular manifestations of sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis. syphilis is a chronic systemic infection caused by the spirochete treponema pallidum, which is transmitted primarily t ...	2008	19811765
a 48-year-old man with a crusted plaque on the left side of the neck: challenge.		2010	19786856
infectious serologies and autoantibodies in wegener's granulomatosis and other vasculitides: novel associations disclosed using the rad bioplex 2200.	in this study we assess the presence of antibodies against infectious agents as well as for a variety of autoantibodies in an attempt to establish associations between various vasculitides and infections in order to shed light on the etiopathogenesis of these diseases and perhaps implicate a potential cure. sera from patients with wegener's granulomatosis (wg), polyarteritis nodosa, microscopic polyangiitis, churg strauss, and giant cell arteritis were compared to healthy control sera. serum sam ...	2009	19758211
[autopsy case of lissauer's general paresis with rapidly progressive left hemiparesis].	a 48-years-old man presented with slowly progressive bradykinesia, personality change and rapidly progressive left hemiparesis. on admission, he presented dementia, poor judgment, left hemiparesis. mri revealed a widespread high intensity area in right hemisphere and mra was almost normal. serological tests of serum and csf demonstrated high titers of antibodies to treponema pallidum. he was treated for syphilis with daily penicillin injections without improvement. he died of sepsis eight months ...	2009	19618844
disentangling contributions of reproductive tract infections to hiv acquisition in african women.	: to estimate the effects of reproductive tract infections (rtis) on hiv acquisition among zimbabwean and ugandan women.	2009	19434010
treponema pallidum, the stealth pathogen, changes, but how?	treponema pallidum rapidly disseminates from a genital site of inoculation to diverse organs where it establishes persistent infection. t. pallidum has long been regarded as a stealth pathogen because of its poorly antigenic and non-inflammatory surface. there is now increasing evidence that antigenic variation also contributes to the ability of the spirochaete to evade host defences. among the small number of proteins encoded by the t. pallidum genome with sequence similarity to well-characteri ...	2009	19432802
evaluation of two human plasma pools as candidate international standard preparations for syphilitic antibodies.	a collaborative study was designed to asses two freeze-dried human plasma preparations containing anti-treponema pallidum antibodies, 05/132 and 05/122, for their suitability as international reference reagents for syphilis serology. both preparations are intended as replacements of the first international standard (is) for syphilitic serum antibodies (hs). samples were tested by eight laboratories using the t. pallidum passive particle agglutination assay (tppa), the venereal disease research l ...	2009	19375942
[a man with perianal warts].		2009	19348133
sexually transmitted infections and reproductive tract infections in female sex workers.	the present study was conducted in 300 female sex workers (fsws) from surat city in 2005-2006. vaginal swabs, endocervical swabs and serum samples were collected from each of these fsws. vaginal samples were screened for bacterial vaginosis (bv), candidiasis and trichomonas vaginalis . endocervical swabs were screened for gonococcal infection. serological tests for human immunodeficiency virus (hiv), hepatitis b surface antigen (hbsag) and syphilis were performed. from a total of 300 fsws, bv wa ...	2009	19332911
male circumcision for the prevention of hsv-2 and hpv infections and syphilis.	male circumcision significantly reduced the incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) infection among men in three clinical trials. we assessed the efficacy of male circumcision for the prevention of herpes simplex virus type 2 (hsv-2) and human papillomavirus (hpv) infections and syphilis in hiv-negative adolescent boys and men.	2009	19321868
cerebral syphilitic gummata: a case presentation and analysis of 156 reported cases.	cerebral syphilitic gummata are rare manifestations of tertiary, meningovascular syphilis. no extensive characterization of these lesions has been published recently, and only a few small reviews containing imaging findings have been published to date. to better characterize cerebral gummata, we present a case seen at tulane university, followed by an extensive review of the literature.	2009	19240620
acute syphilitic interstitial orchitis mimicking testicular malignancy in an hiv-1 infected man diagnosed by treponema pallidum polymerase chain reaction.	we report a case of acute epididymo-orchitis due to early infectious syphilis, mimicking as testicular malignancy in an undiagnosed hiv-positive individual. he presented with a mass on his testicle and simultaneously had serology consistent with early syphilis. it could not be distinguished from a malignancy, which necessitated urgent orchidectomy. histology showed endarteritis but no evidence of gummatous involvement. although treponemes were not detected by staining, the diagnosis was confirme ...	2009	19103900
secondary syphilis presenting as annular lichenoid plaques on the scrotum.	secondary syphilis can have protean clinical manifestations and can present with unusual lesions, which may go unrecognized.	2008	18544293
antiretroviral therapy is associated with reduced serologic failure rates for syphilis among hiv-infected patients.	syphilis and human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) frequently coexist in patients, but the effects of immunosuppression on the course of syphilis are unknown. our goal was to determine whether the degree of hiv-mediated immunosuppression and the use of highly active antiretroviral therapy impact syphilis serologic responses.	2008	18532887
hiv-1, hsv-2 and syphilis among pregnant women in a rural area of tanzania: prevalence and risk factors.	evidence suggests that a substantial proportion of new hiv infections in african countries are associated with herpes simplex virus type 2 (hsv-2). thus, the magnitude of hsv-2 infection in an area may suggest the expected course of the hiv epidemic. we determined prevalence of genital herpes, syphilis and associated factors among pregnant women from a remote rural tanzanian community that has a low but increasing hiv prevalence.	2008	18513451
genital ulcers and concomitant complaints in men attending a sexually transmitted infections clinic: implications for sexually transmitted infections management.	although genital herpes has emerged as the most common cause of genital ulcers in southern africa, treatment for herpes is not available routinely in the region. this study was performed to determine the etiology of genital ulcers in men in durban and assess other sexually transmitted infections-related symptoms, presentation, and treatment patterns in this group.	2008	18356769
on the origin of the treponematoses: a phylogenetic approach.	since the first recorded epidemic of syphilis in 1495, controversy has surrounded the origins of the bacterium treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum and its relationship to the pathogens responsible for the other treponemal diseases: yaws, endemic syphilis, and pinta. some researchers have argued that the syphilis-causing bacterium, or its progenitor, was brought from the new world to europe by christopher columbus and his men, while others maintain that the treponematoses, including syphilis, have ...	2008	18235852
[the aragonese mummies of the basilica of saint domenico maggiore in naples].	the paleopathological study of 31 italian renaissance mummies from the basilica of s. domenico maggiore in naples has allowed us to perform about 20 diagnoses, of which 5 concern infectious (smallpox, hepatitis, condyloma, syphilis and pneumonia), 3 metabolic (obesity, atherosclerosis, gallstones), i articular (dish) and 2 neoplastic (colon adenocarcinoma and skin carcinoma) diseases. the mummy of an anonymous child, dated back to the 16th century (14c: 1569 +/- 60), presented a diffuse vesiculo ...	2006	18175625
[analysis of positive results in mediace rapid plasma reagin and treponema pallidum latex agglutination as the automated syphilis test].	we compared the results of automated and quantitative methods for the diagnosis of syphilis, mediace rapid plasma reagin (rpr) and mediace treponema pallidum latex agglutination (tpla) (sekisui chemical co., ltd, japan) with those of conventional methods.	2007	18094596
human intestinal spirochetosis in japan; its incidence, clinicopathologic features, and genotypic identification.	human intestinal spirochetosis is a common condition in western countries, but is not well recognized in japan. to demonstrate the incidence and clinicopathologic findings of human intestinal spirochetosis in japan, we retrospectively investigated biopsy, and endoscopically or surgically resected specimens of the large intestine. among a series of 2556 samples, 11 cases of human intestinal spirochetosis were detected (0.4%). together with additional nine cases sporadically found, 20 cases of hum ...	2008	18084255
alopecia syphilitica with detection of treponema pallidum in the hair follicle.	alopecia is one of the clinical manifestations of secondary syphilis. it is uncommon for hair loss to be the sole or predominant manifestation, as hair loss is the chief clinical and histologic differential diagnosis of alopecia areata. the main difference between these two entities is the detection of treponema pallidum in syphilis. we present the case of a 24-year-old hispanic man, human immunodeficiency virus seropositive in treatment, with tiny patches of non-cicatricial alopecia in the pari ...	2007	17997737
htlv-1/2 among high-risk groups in argentina: molecular diagnosis and prevalence of different sexual transmitted infections.	the objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence and characterize the epidemiologic patterns of htlv-1/2 infections and co-infections with hiv, hbv (hepatitis b), hcv (hepatitis c), and treponema pallidum in five different high-risk groups, including injecting drug users (idus), female sex workers (fsws), men who have sex with men (msm), patients with tuberculosis (tb), and patients attending clinics for sexually transmitted infections (stis) in buenos aires, argentina. the htlv-1/2 ...	2007	17935172
[sexually transmitted disease (std)].		2007	17477146
evaluation of the liaison chemiluminescence immunoassay for diagnosis of syphilis.	we report the results of an evaluation of the liaison treponema pallidum-specific assay, a one-step sandwich chemiluminescence immunoassay (clia), as a screening test and as a confirmatory test for the diagnosis of syphilis. the assay was compared with the captia syphilis-g enzyme immunoassay (eia) and with a testing algorithm that also included the rapid plasma reagin (rpr) and t. pallidum particle agglutination (pa) assays. as a screening test, the clia showed levels of agreement with the eia ...	2007	17460119
sexual behavior, knowledge of sti prevention, and prevalence of serum markers for sti among tour guides in cuzco/peru.	sexual behavior during travel has increasingly become a focus of travel medicine research. the perceived freedom when away from home can lead to increased casual sexual activities, often unprotected. local sexual partners, particularly those who are in close contact with tourists due to their occupation, need to be considered more in research. the purpose of this study was to explore the sexual behavior, knowledge of sti prevention, and prevalence of serum markers of selected stis in tour guides ...	2007	17437470
tuberculous and syphilitic meningitis in a patient infected with the human immunodeficiency virus.	this report examines simultaneous tuberculous and syphilitic meningitis in a patient with human immunodeficiency virus (hiv). the 41-year-old homosexual patient presented with meningitis and hydrocephalus. his cd4+ and cd8+ t-lymphocyte counts per microliter were 60 and 71, respectively. his clinical presentation was of a rapid-onset cerebral attack incompatible with tuberculous meningitis. imaging indicated fatal bilateral cerebral infarction at the basal nuclei, and basal meningitis. we believ ...	2007	17409609
men who have sex with men and transgenders in mumbai, india: an emerging risk group for stis and hiv.	men who have sex with men and transgenders are an important risk group for sexually transmitted infections (stis) and human immunodeficiency virus (hiv). they have risky sexual behaviors but low risk perception.	2006	17179617
development of a real-time pcr assay to detect treponema pallidum in clinical specimens and assessment of the assay's performance by comparison with serological testing.	the incidence of infectious syphilis in men who have sex with men and human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients has increased steadily in victoria, australia, since 2002. a taqman real-time pcr assay targeting the pola gene of treponema pallidum (tppcr) was developed. the analytical sensitivity of the assay was estimated to be 1.75 target copies per reaction. initially, the assay was used to test a variety of specimens (excluding blood) from 598 patients. of the 660 tests performed, positiv ...	2007	17065262
nodules on the tongue in an hiv-positive patient.	syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by treponema pallidum. epidemiological studies show that rates have increased dramatically in recent y, especially in human immunodeficiency virus (hiv)-seropositive patients. although lesions most frequently develop on the genital area, they are presently frequently detected in the oral cavity. we present an hiv-positive patient without antiretroviral treatment and immunologically stable, with firm nodules on the tongue. following serological te ...	2006	16938742
surface plasmon resonance biosensors for detection of pathogenic microorganisms: strategies to secure food and environmental safety.	this review describes the exploitation of exclusively optical surface plasmon resonance (spr) biosensors for the direct and indirect detection of pathogenic microorganisms in food chains and the environment. direct detection is, in most cases, facilitated by the use of defined monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies raised against (a part of) the target pathogenic microorganisms. the antibodies were immobilized to a solid phase of the sensor to capture the microbe from the sample. alternatively, ant ...	2006	16792081
syphilitic periostitis in a newly diagnosed hiv-positive man.	a 36-year-old man presented for an hiv test, which answered positive. he gave a six-week history of headache and fever. his syphilis serology was also positive with a venereal disease research laboratory (vdrl) titre of 1:32, and positive treponema pallidum particle agglutination (tppa) assay and fluorescent treponemal antibody (fta). when he attended for treatment of the syphilis, he had developed severe pain in both lower limbs. plain radiographs were normal. an isotope bone scan showed multip ...	2006	16734969
prevalence and incidence of, and risk factors for, hiv-1 infection among factory workers in ethiopia, 1997-2001.	the study was conducted to determine the prevalence, incidence, and risk factors for hiv infection among factory workers at two sites in ethiopia. during february 1997-december 2001, a structured questionnaire was used for obtaining information on sociodemographics, sexual behaviour, and reported sexually transmitted infections (stis) from a cohort of 1679 individuals. serum samples were screened for antibodies against hiv, treponema pallidum haemaglutination (tpha), and herpes simplex virus typ ...	2005	16599107
immunoglobulin class of natural human antibodies reactive with treponema pallidum.	to aid the development of serological tests for incubating syphilis, a characterization was made of the background of natural anti-treponema pallidum antibodies against which the initial immune response to syphilis takes place. sera from presumed normal persons were studied with monospecific antisera in an indirect fluorescent-antibody procedure. of 36 sera tested at a 1:5 dilution, all showed igg reactivity with t. pallidum (nichols strain), 58% showed igm reactivity, and 20% showed iga reactiv ...	1970	16557775
prevalence of skin allograft discards as a result of serological and molecular microbiological screening in a regional skin bank in italy.	postmortem skin is widely used in the treatment of patients with severe burns. skin specimens must be screened for transmissible agents including human immunodeficiency virus (hiv), hepatitis b (hbv) and c (hcv) virus, human t-cell lymphotropic virus (htlv), cytomegalovirus (cmv) and treponema pallidum.	2006	16529868
the pnra (tp0319; tmpc) lipoprotein represents a new family of bacterial purine nucleoside receptor encoded within an atp-binding cassette (abc)-like operon in treponema pallidum.	treponema pallidum, the bacterial agent of syphilis, cannot be cultivated in vitro. this constraint has severely impeded the study of the membrane biology of this complex human pathogen. a structure-to-function approach thus was adopted as a means of discerning the likely function of tp0319, a 35-kda cytoplasmic membrane-associated lipoprotein of t. pallidum formerly designated as tmpc. a 1.7-a crystal structure showed that recombinant tp0319 (rtp0319) consists of two alpha/beta domains, linked ...	2006	16418175
the pathogenesis of syphilis: the great mimicker, revisited.	syphilis is a chronic sexually transmitted infection caused by treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. its protean clinical presentations earned it the name of the 'great mimicker'. understanding of disease pathogenesis and how host-pathogen interactions influence the course of disease have been compromised by the facts that the organism cannot be grown in vitro and, as an exclusively human pathogen, inferences made from animal models are of limited applicability. many questions remain about how ...	2006	16362988
single-dose azithromycin versus penicillin g benzathine for the treatment of early syphilis.	pilot studies suggest that a single, 2-g oral dose of azithromycin may be an alternative to a 2.4-mu intramuscular dose of penicillin g benzathine in the prevention and treatment of syphilis. we evaluated the efficacy of treatment with azithromycin in a developing country.	2005	16177249
with this eruption, there is not a second to lues.	a 28-year-old white man presented to the emergency department with a 24-hour history of an eruption on his extremities, trunk, and face. the patient was known to be hiv positive with a cd4 count of 527 and a viral load of 20,300. he denied fever, chills, malaise, and headache. his social history was significant for the fact that he was in a monogamous homosexual relationship. he had no recent travel, pet exposures, or sick contacts. physical examination revealed stable vital signs and no documen ...	2005	15891256
[seroprevalence of antibodies against treponema pallidum, toxoplasma gondii, rubella virus, hepatitis b and c virus, and hiv in pregnant women].	the prevalence of antibodies against treponema pallidum, toxoplasma gondii, rubella virus, hepatitis b virus (hbv), hepatitis c virus (hcv) and human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) was investigated in pregnant women.	2004	15511391
the effects of treponema pallidum on human dendritic cells.	cell mediated immune responses play a prominent role in syphilis, which is caused by treponema pallidum. the role of dendritic cells (dc) in the syphilitic infection is not well understood in human. in the present study, we studied interaction of t. pallidum with dc, generated from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells with gm-csf and il-4. after adding t. pallidum for 16 hours to immature dc at culture day 7, the change of surface antigens on dc was monitored by flow cytometry, the amount of ...	2004	15227740
peptide-protein microarrays for the simultaneous detection of pathogen infections.	we describe novel peptide-protein microarrays, which were fabricated using semicarbazide glass slides that permitted the immobilization of glyoxylyl peptides by site-specific ligation and the immobilization of proteins by physisorption. the arrays permitted the simultaneous serodetection of antibodies directed against hepatitis c virus (hcv core p21 15-45 peptide, ns4 1925-1947 peptide, core, ns3, ns4, and mixture of core, ns3, ns4, and ns5 antigens), hepatitis b virus (hbc, hbe, and hbs), human ...	2004	15025526
susceptibility of treponema pallidum to host-derived antimicrobial peptides.	ll-37 displays potent broad-spectrum activity against a number of pathogenic bacteria and is the only cathelicidin thus far identified in humans. in this study, we examined the capacity of human ll-37 and the similar cap-18-derived peptide from rabbits to exert antimicrobial activity against the causative agent of syphilis, treponema pallidum. we found that both peptides, as well as a truncated version of human ll-37 that contains its bactericidal domain, could exert rapid, but salt-sensitive an ...	2003	15019205
identification of novel virulence-associated genes via genome analysis of hypothetical genes.	the sequencing of bacterial genomes has opened new perspectives for identification of targets for treatment of infectious diseases. we have identified a set of novel virulence-associated genes (vag genes) by comparing the genome sequences of six human pathogens that are known to cause persistent or chronic infections in humans: yersinia pestis, neisseria gonorrhoeae, helicobacter pylori, borrelia burgdorferi, streptococcus pneumoniae, and treponema pallidum. this comparison was limited to genes ...	2004	14977936
[prevalence and factors associated with syphilis and genital herpes in 2 groups of the female population].	to assess the frequency of hsv-2 and treponema pallidum markers and their relationship with characteristics of women during gynecological outpatient visits.	2003	14974272
sexually transmitted infections among prostitutes in bratislava, slovakia.	sera from 18 prostitutes from bratislava were examined for the presence of antibodies to several sexually transmitted pathogens, namely herpes simplex virus 2 (hsv-2), human immunodeficiency viruses 1 and 2 (hiv-1 and hiv-2), hepatitis b and c viruses (hbv and hcv), chlamydia trachomatis, and treponema pallidum. results of this screening indicated that 11 prostitutes (61%) carried 1 or more sexually transmitted infections. the most prevalent antibodies were directed against hsv-2 (9 cases, i.e. ...	2003	14658845
[presence and persistence of treponemas in the cerebrospinal fluid in the course of experimental and human syphilis following delayed treatment].		1964	14237500
[persistence of treponema pallidum during late syphilis in the rabbit and man despite treatment].		1963	14022305
[origin of nichols treponema strain; preservation of its virulence for man after 40 years].		1954	13199600
treponema pallidum buds, granules, and cysts as found in human syphilitic chancres and seen in fixed unstained smears observed under dark-ground illumination.		1953	13016904
tattooing and transfusion-transmitted diseases in brazil: a hospital-based cross-sectional matched study.	presence of tattoos has been a criterion for temporary deferral of blood donors. scientific evidence remains equivocal regarding the association between tattooing and transfusion-transmitted diseases (ttds).	2003	12889691
phagocytosis of treponema pallidum and reactive oxygen species production by isolated rat kupffer cells.	the in vitro phagocytosis of viable treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum by isolated rat kupffer cells, studied by immunofluorescence staining of kupffer cells-associated bacteria, showed that ingestion of live, unopsonized treponemes was slow: in fact, kupffer cells started to be positive 1 h after infection, when only 4% of the cells presented small round fluorescent inclusion-like bodies. thereafter, the number of positive cells progressively increased with time: 7%, 17%, 36%, and 69% of kupffe ...	2003	12690445
[bilateral coronary ostial stenoses with aortic regurgitation in a patient with syphilitic aortitis].	syphilitic aortitis is now rare in developed countries and is sometimes overlooked. a 61-year-old man with bilateral coronary ostial stenoses (#5:90%, #1:99%) and sellers iii/iv aortic regugitatioin (ar) induced by syphilitic aortitis presented with chest pain. preoperative rapid plasma reagin titer and treponema pallidum hemagglutination test were strongly positive, 256 fold and 191.25 c.o.i., respectively. aortic valve replacement (avr) and coronary artery bypass grafting (cabg) with bilateral ...	2003	12635329
etiology of genital ulcer disease and association with human immunodeficiency virus infection in two tanzanian cities.	the etiological agent is usually not established in cases of genital ulcer disease (gud) in tanzania, since diagnosis and treatment of this disease are based mainly on clinical rather than microbiologic parameters. gud increases the risk of infection with hiv. however, the association between specific gud infections and hiv infection has not been fully investigated.	2003	12567167
the absence of hiv seropositivity contrasts with a high prevalence of markers of sexually transmitted infections among registered female sex workers in toliary, madagascar.	in a cross-sectional study in 1998 we assessed human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) and syphilis infections and their risk factors among the 316 registered female sex workers (fsws) of toliary, south-west madagascar. no case of hiv infection was detected, but 18.4% of registered fsws had syphilis. only half of these women regularly used condoms. in a multiple logistic regression analysis, risk factors for syphilis infection were multiple clients per week and, paradoxically, regular use of condoms. ...	2003	12535252
infection screening in sudden and progressive idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss: a retrospective study of 182 cases.	to evaluate a systematic infectious screening program for patients who present with sudden or progressive sensorineural hearing loss (shl) of unknown cause (negative history and clinical examination).	2002	11875344
[zinsser-engman-cole syndrome (dyskeratosis congenita) with severe sicca syndrome, panuveitis and corneal perforation--a case report].	zinsser-engman-cole syndrome (z.e.c.) is a very rare type of ectodermal dysplasia, inherited in x-linked recessive manner and characterised by poikiloderma, nail dystrophy, lingual leucoplakia, bone marrow hypoplasia, hyperkeratosis and hyperhidrosis of planta and palms, dental anomalies and caries, premature grey hair.	2001	11488014
screening of patients with complex regional pain syndrome for antecedent infections.	this study was designed to investigate whether complex regional pain syndrome type i (crps i) could be linked to any previous infection.	2001	11444711
outbreak of syphilis among men who have sex with men--southern california, 2000.	syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease (std) caused by infection with the spirochete treponema pallidum, and like other genital ulcer diseases, syphilis enhances the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (hiv). during the 1990s, syphilis occurred predominantly among heterosexual blacks in the south and in large cities. however, recent outbreaks of syphilis have occurred among men who have sex with men (msm). a large syphilis outbreak occurred among msm during january-july 2000 in sout ...	2001	11393490
study on risk factors for transplacental viral infections; effect of bacterial factors and double viral infections on virus replication in placenta and amniotic membranes.	among risk factors for vertical transmission of hiv there are listed concomitant viral and bacterial infections. therefore the influence on the viruses replication in human placenta and amniotic membrane cultures of double viral infection with two unrelated viruses - encephalomyocarditis (emcv) and vesicular stomatitis virus (vsv) - was studied and compared with the replication of the viruses in single virus infection (emcv or vsv) in the same organ cultures. additionally effect of bacterial fac ...	2001	11286573
the cutaneous response in humans to treponema pallidum lipoprotein analogues involves cellular elements of both innate and adaptive immunity.	to extend prior studies implicating treponemal lipoproteins as major proinflammatory agonists of syphilitic infection, we examined the responses induced by intradermal injection of human subjects with synthetic lipoprotein analogues (lipopeptides) corresponding to the n termini of the 17- and 47-kda lipoproteins of treponema pallidum. responses were assessed visually and by flow cytometric analysis of dermal leukocyte populations within fluids aspirated from suction blisters raised over the inje ...	2001	11238663
the use of molecular techniques for the diagnosis and epidemiologic study of sexually transmitted infections.	molecular diagnostic tests are more sensitive and, in many cases, more specific than conventional laboratory methods for the detection of sexually transmitted infections. here, we review recently developed molecular methods for the diagnosis and subtyping of the most common sexually transmitted infections: infections caused by chlamydia trachomatis, neisseria gonorrhoeae, human papillomavirus, trichomonas vaginalis, and the agents of genital ulcer disease (haemophilus ducreyi, herpes simplex vir ...	2000	11095835
risk factors for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in southwestern american indian women.	the authors assessed risk factors for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (cin) among southwestern american indian women using case-control methods. cases were new mexico american indian women with biopsy-proven grade i (n = 190), grade ii (n = 70), or grade iii (n = 42) cervical lesions diagnosed between november 1994 and october 1997. controls were american indian women from the same indian health service clinics with normal cervical epithelium (n = 326). all subjects underwent interviews and l ...	2000	11052549
[tropical spastic paraparesis and mixed infection due to treponema pallidum and htlv-i].		2000	10935266
etiology of sexually transmitted infections among street-based female sex workers in dhaka, bangladesh.	an etiological study of sexually transmitted infections (stis) was conducted among female sex workers (fsws) in dhaka, bangladesh. endocervical swab and blood samples from 269 street-based fsws were examined for neisseria gonorrhoeae, chlamydia trachomatis, and trichomonas vaginalis as well as for antibodies to treponema pallidum and herpes simplex virus 2 (hsv-2). sociodemographic data and data regarding behavior were also collected. a total of 226 of the 269 fsws (84%) were positive for the st ...	2000	10699032
clinical utility of a competitive elisa to detect antibodies against treponema pallidum.	screening for treponema pallidum infection is carried out on a large human population. to reduce costs, fewer tests which still offer adequate sensitivity and specificity could be performed. we studied the reliability of a novel indirect elisa method to test for this infection. several panels of sera were used that corresponded to 40 primary infections (group 1), 13 recurrences (group 2), 348 latent infections (group 3), 5 samples with anticardiolipin antibodies (group 4), 15 samples from patien ...	2000	10683619
human immunodeficiency virus infection and genital ulcer disease in south africa: the herpetic connection.	while genital ulcers are a risk factor in hiv infection, the association of specific agents of genital ulcer disease (gud) with hiv infection may vary.	2000	10654864
virulent treponema pallidum, lipoprotein, and synthetic lipopeptides induce ccr5 on human monocytes and enhance their susceptibility to infection by human immunodeficiency virus type 1.	treponema pallidum, its membrane lipoproteins, and synthetic lipoprotein analogues (lipopeptides) were each examined to determine whether they induced ccr5 expression on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmc). reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for ccr5 gene transcripts, macrophage inflammatory protein (mip)-1beta binding assays, and flow cytometry revealed that either t. pallidum, a representative treponemal lipoprotein, or a corresponding synthetic lipopeptide induced ccr ...	2000	10608777
response to standard syphilis treatment in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus.	in a study designed to evaluate the efficacy of penicillin in hiv-infected patients with syphilis and to determine the clinical and laboratory responses after treatment, 13 patients with hiv infection and syphilis were assessed at enrollment and at the last follow-up examination (median time of 21 months). the venereal diseases research laboratory (vdrl) test, the treponema pallidum hemaglutination test, and leukocyte counts in cerebrospinal fluid were evaluated both at enrollment and at the las ...	1999	10584901
toll-like receptor 2 functions as a pattern recognition receptor for diverse bacterial products.	toll-like receptors (tlrs) 2 and 4 are signal transducers for lipopolysaccharide, the major proinflammatory constituent in the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria. we observed that membrane lipoproteins/lipopeptides from borrelia burgdorferi, treponema pallidum, and mycoplasma fermentans activated cells heterologously expressing tlr2 but not those expressing tlr1 or tlr4. these tlr2-expressing cells were also stimulated by living motile b. burgdorferi, suggesting that tlr2 recognition of li ...	1999	10559223
identification of treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum in a 200-year-old skeletal specimen.	treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum, the causative agent of venereal syphilis, was detected in a 200-year-old skeletal specimen from easter island. an initial diagnosis of treponemal infection was confirmed by extensive purification of immunoglobulin that reacted strongly with t. pallidum antigen. extracted dna exhibited a single-base polymorphism that distinguished t.p. subsp. pallidum from 4 other human and nonhuman treponemes. extensive precautions against contamination of the subject matter w ...	1999	10558971
a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of single-dose ciprofloxacin versus erythromycin for the treatment of chancroid in nairobi, kenya.	a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted in nairobi, kenya, to compare single-dose ciprofloxacin with a 7-day course of erythromycin for the treatment of chancroid. in all, 208 men and 37 women presenting with genital ulcers clinically compatible with chancroid were enrolled. ulcer etiology was determined using culture techniques for chancroid, serology for syphilis, and a multiplex polymerase chain reaction for chancroid, syphilis, and herpes simplex virus (hs ...	1999	10558945
relationship between immunoclinical status and prevalence of viral sexually transmitted diseases among human immunodeficiency virus-1 seropositive patients in ghana.	in view of the strong association between the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (aids) and sexually transmitted diseases (stds), we screened 182 human immunodeficiency virus (hiv)-1 infected patients over a 15-month period for serological markers to previously encountered or current stds, most of viral etiology. the relationship between their immunological and clinical status and the prevalence of stds was assessed and compared with that of 88 hiv-seronegative patients. hepatitis b virus and tr ...	1999	10413359
molecular characterization of a chemotaxis operon in the oral spirochete, treponema denticola.	a chemotaxis gene cluster from treponema denticola (td), a pathogenic spirochete associated with human periodontal diseases, was cloned, sequenced, and analyzed. the gene cluster contained three chemotaxis (che) genes (chea, chew, and chey) and an open reading frame (chex) that is homologous with treponema pallidum (tp) and borrelia burgdorferi (bb) chex. the td che genes have the same transcriptional orientation with a sigma 70-like promoter located upstream of chea and a stem-loop structure ch ...	1999	10333522
function and protective capacity of treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase.	infectious syphilis, caused by the spirochete bacterium treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum, remains a public health concern worldwide. the immune-response evasion mechanisms employed by t. pallidum are poorly understood, and prior attempts to identify immunoprotective antigens for subsequent vaccine design have been unsuccessful. previous investigations conducted in our laboratory identified the t. pallidum glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase as a potential immunoprotective antigen by using ...	1998	9826352
etiology of genital ulcers and prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus coinfection in 10 us cities. the genital ulcer disease surveillance group.	to determine the etiology of genital ulcers and to assess the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) infection in ulcer patients in 10 us cities, ulcer and serum specimens were collected from approximately 50 ulcer patients at a sexually transmitted disease clinic in each city. ulcer specimens were tested using a multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay to detect haemophilus ducreyi, treponema pallidum, and herpes simplex virus (hsv); sera were tested for antibody to hiv. h. ducreyi w ...	1998	9815237
[risk of transmission of infectious diseases by transfusion].	in obstetric patients transfusion is a common procedure, it has many advantages but it also has severe risks. since the observation that human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) infection is transmitted by transfusion, the number of preventive measures to reduce the infectious diseases transmission by this procedure has increased. the microorganisms that can be transmitted through transfusion include: human t lymphotropic virus (htlv) i and ii, hepatitis b virus, hepatitis c virus, hepatitis d virus, ...	1998	9737068
molecular methods for the diagnosis of genital ulcer disease in a sexually transmitted disease clinic population in northern thailand: predominance of herpes simplex virus infection.	a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (m-pcr) assay that simultaneously detects the three major causes of genital ulcer disease (gud), haemophilus ducreyi, treponema pallidum, and herpes simplex virus, was used to evaluate swab specimens for 38 sequential patients with gud at a thai sexually transmitted disease clinic. subjects received clinical diagnoses and syndromic treatment. swab specimens for h. ducreyi cultures and m-pcr were obtained. no h. ducreyi cultures were positive. of 38 m-pcr spe ...	1998	9652447
serologic profile of some sexually transmitted diseases in women with squamous intraepithelial lesions.	the purpose of this study consisted of the evaluation of some sexually transmitted diseases in patients with cervical pathology, namely squamous intraepithelial lesions.	1998	9611052