Congenital syphilis: Missed opportunities and the case for rescreening during pregnancy and at delivery

Two infants treated for syphilis born to at risk mothers who screened negative at their first prenatal visit but were not rescreened at delivery are described. The first presented with classic, but unrecognized, features of congenital syphilis. In the second case, possible early maternal syphilis wa...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Nicola P. O’Connor, Blanca E. Gonzalez, Frank P. Esper, Joan Tamburro, Kamran Kadkhoda, Charles B. Foster
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2020-01-01
Series:IDCases
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214250920302729
Description
Summary:Two infants treated for syphilis born to at risk mothers who screened negative at their first prenatal visit but were not rescreened at delivery are described. The first presented with classic, but unrecognized, features of congenital syphilis. In the second case, possible early maternal syphilis was diagnosed soon after delivery using the treponemal first reverse-screening algorithm. Although the child’s physical exam was normal and the maternal rapid plasma reagin (RPR) negative, the child was treated for syphilis because maternal confirmatory treponemal tests suggested recent seroconversion. Given the re-emergence of congenital syphilis, our report aims to demonstrate the importance of rescreening women at increased risk and improve awareness of common manifestations of the syphilis disease in the newborn. For women at increased risk, repeat syphilis testing early in the third trimester and again at delivery in communities and populations with a high prevalence of syphilis is recommended.
ISSN:2214-2509