1/3. pituitary gland gumma in congenital syphilis after failed maternal treatment: a case report.A preterm, very low birth weight infant was born to a mother with early latent syphilis who was treated 10 days and 3 days before delivery with 2.4 mU of benzathine penicillin. The infant had clinical, laboratory, and radiographic abnormalities consistent with congenital syphilis, ie, a Venereal disease research Laboratory test titer that was fourfold greater than was the maternal titer, hepatosplenomegaly, abnormal liver function tests, pneumonitis, osteochondritis of the long bones, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination showing a reactive Venereal disease research Laboratory test, pleocytosis, and elevated protein content. The infant died on the third day of life, and an autopsy revealed an evolving gumma of the anterior pituitary. immunoglobulin m immunoblotting of serum and CSF was positive, and polymerase chain reaction detected treponema pallidum dna in endotracheal aspirate and CSF. This case highlights the pathologic abnormalities observed in congenital syphilis and focuses on the rare finding of an evolving anterior pituitary gumma. Furthermore, it documents the failure of maternal syphilis treatment during the last 4 weeks of pregnancy to cure fetal infection and supports the recommendation that all infants born to mothers with syphilis treated during the last 4 weeks of pregnancy should receive penicillin therapy.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = lyme (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/3. umbilical cord sclerosis as an indicator of congenital syphilis.In two cases of congenital syphilis examination of the umbilical cord showed a distinctive picture of perivascular sclerosis and inflammation. Large numbers of spirochaetes were shown in the sclerotic zone in both cases. No organisms were demonstrable in the placental disc and there were no morphological changes suggestive of syphilis. It is concluded that the finding of sclerosing funisitis, together with the clinical circumstances, should raise the possibility of congenital syphilis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2405.1886369467keywords = spirochaete (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/3. Gastric syphilis: polymerase chain reaction detection of treponemal dna in pseudolymphomatous lesions.syphilis is an unexpected diagnosis in the stomach. To establish the diagnosis, evidence of treponema pallidum in the gastric lesion is necessary. However, it is sometimes difficult to prove the presence of the organisms by conventional methods. The authors describe two cases of early gastric syphilis with pseudolymphomatous histology in which T pallidum gene was detected by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using paraffin biopsy sections. The gastric lesion of each case endoscopically and histologically simulated that of malignant lymphoma. However, no clonality was proved by immunohistochemistry or PCR gene rearrangement analysis. No spirochetal organisms were detected with certainty by Warthin-Starry silver stain, whereas the organisms were shown by immunofluorescent stain in one patient. A PCR study showed the treponemal dna in both patients, and its validity was supported by a direct sequencing and a restriction enzyme digestion. Positive results of serological tests for syphilis and regression of the lesions after antisyphilitic treatment were confirmatory of the diagnosis. Gastric syphilis should be considered as a differential diagnosis when an atypical lymphoid infiltrate fails to show monoclonality. The present PCR method would be helpful in showing T pallidum using routinely processed small biopsy specimens as the tissue source.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 5keywords = lyme (Clic here for more details about this article) |