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At least 811 records · Page 45Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

High rate of infection with the human T-cell leukemia retrovirus type II in four Indian populations of Argentina.

Sera from 215 non-drug-injecting Toba and Mataco-Mataguayo pure Indians belonging to four communities in northern Argentina were examined using assays that allow differentiation between reactivities due to type-specific antigens of the human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus (HTLV). Three of these populations have very little contact with non-Indian groups and reside in remote, isolated areas. HTLV-II type-specific seroreactivity was present in 24 (13.7%) of the 175 Indians older than 13 years of age and in none of the 40 who were of younger ages. None of the Indians had antibodies reacting with HTLV-I type-specific antigen. Seroreactivity was more prevalent and appeared at younger ages in females than in males. The majority of the HTLV-II-seropositive Indians belonged to the more isolated communities. The seroprevalences among the Tobas and Mataco-Mataguayo Indians were comparable. With the exception of a Toba who was positive in a test for Treponema pallidum, no serological evidence of sexually transmitted infections with this spirochete, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and human immunodeficiency virus was found among the Indians tested. None of the 55 non-Indian people tested in the region showed HTLV-II type-specific seroreactivity. PCR analysis of DNA isolated from peripheral blood lymphocytes of seropositive Indians confirmed that the virus present in these populations is HTLV-II. Sequence analysis of PCR-amplified genomic segments showed that the virus belongs to the HTLV-II subtype which has been found to be endemic in other Paleo-American Indians.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Secondary syphilis in persons infected with and not infected with HIV-1: a comparative immunohistologic study.

To better understand the cutaneous immune response to Treponema pallidum, we performed an immunohistologic study of skin biopsies from a total of 11 patients with secondary syphilis; biopsies from five persons infected with HIV-1 were included in the analysis to assess at the tissue level the impact of concomitant HIV-1 infection on disease expression. In all of the biopsies, staining for HLA-DR, a marker for cellular activation, was observed among infiltrating leukocytes, dermal vascular endothelial cells, and keratinocytes. Infiltrating mononuclear cells stained positively for CD4 or CD8, with CD4+ cells always being in the majority. Surprisingly, most of the CD4+ cells had histiocytic, rather than lymphocytic, morphologic characteristics. Immunostaining for CD14 confirmed that these cells were monocytic in origin, whereas immunostaining for CD3 revealed that the lymphocytes were predominantly CD8+ cytotoxic T cells. B cells were not detected despite the presence of variable numbers of plasma cells in all specimens. By immunofluorescence, all of the specimens demonstrated perivascular deposition of immunoglobulins, complement, or fibrinogen; linear staining at the dermal-epidermal junction also was observed in most of the specimens. No differences in immunocytochemical or immunofluorescence staining patterns were observed between the specimens from patients who were HIV positive and patients who were HIV negative. In addition to providing a more precise definition of the infiltrating cells in syphilitic lesions, our results, taken as a whole, indicate that cellular immune processes are largely responsible for the development of cutaneous manifestations during syphilitic infection and that coinfection with HIV-1 has little discernible effect on the cutaneous response to T. pallidum.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Pulmonary abscesses in congenital syphilis.

Congenital syphilis remains a public health concern in the United States. Infants whose mothers are treated in the third trimester without adequate prenatal care have an increased risk of morbidity and mortality in the immediate perinatal period. The identification of Treponema pallidum in tissue is definitive confirmation of infection. We report the case of a 32-week gestational age infant born to a mother treated for syphilis 7 days prior to delivery. The infant died 12.5 hours after birth. At autopsy, there was extensive acute hyaline membrane disease. In addition, there were bilateral pulmonary abscesses with spirochetes. The onset of maternal disease was unknown, but was probably early in or prior to the pregnancy. This is an unusual case of pulmonary involvement in congenital syphilis.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Sexually transmitted infections among married women in Dhaka, Bangladesh: unexpected high prevalence of herpes simplex type 2 infection.

OBJECTIVES: To document the prevalence of reproductive tract infections (RTI) and sexually transmitted infections (STI) among women attending a basic healthcare clinic in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to identify risk factors associated with the diseases and to estimate the incidence of syphilis, hepatitis C (HCV), hepatitis B (HBV), and herpes simplex type 2 (HSV-2) infection. METHODS: A cross sectional sample of 2335 consecutive women was examined during 1996-8. Women were interviewed about risk factors for RTI/STI and tested for Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Trichomonas vaginalis, Treponema pallidum, HIV, HCV, HBV, HSV-1 and HSV-2 infection as well as vaginal candidosis and bacterial vaginosis. Women with antibodies to T pallidum were retested at regular intervals. One year after ending the study seroconversion for syphilis, HBV, HCV, and HSV-2 infection was detected among women initially negative for the respective diseases. RESULTS: The overall prevalence rate of N gonorrhoeae, C trachomatis, T vaginalis, and T pallidum infection was 0.5%, 1.9%, 2.0%, and 2.9% respectively. Overall, 35% of the women had antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen, 0.9% had HCV, and 12% HSV-2 infection. Risk factors for gonorrhoea/C trachomatis infection were a husband not living at home or suspected of being unfaithful. HSV-2 infection was associated with the same risk factors and with a polygamous marriage. The prevalence of HSV-2 infection among women "at risk" was 23%. HIV infection was not diagnosed. Repeated serological examination indicated that only 32% of women with serological evidence of syphilis had active disease. The seroincidences of HBV, HCV, and HSV-2 were 0.03, 0.007, and 0.009 per person year. Seroconversion for syphilis was not observed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

A subpopulation of Treponema pallidum is resistant to phagocytosis: possible mechanism of persistence.

While untreated syphilis infection is characterized by spontaneous resolution of early lesions, a few organisms evade the host immune response and persist for many years. Macrophages are generally recognized as the effector cell responsible for bacterial clearance, and phagocytosis is enhanced by immune serum. This study examined the susceptibility of Treponema pallidum isolated at various stages of lesion resolution to opsonization and phagocytosis by macrophages in vitro. Findings suggest that the population of organisms remaining after the majority of bacteria have been cleared in vivo is resistant to phagocytosis. This may provide a mechanism for the persistence of T. pallidum in the face of an otherwise active immune response.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Neurosyphilis.

Central nervous system invasion by Treponema pallidum, the causative agent of syphilis, occurs in many, if not most, patients with syphilis. Laboratory findings from untreated asymptomatic syphilis patients with abnormalities of cerebrospinal fluid are termed asymptomatic neurosyphilis and represent a group that has an increased risk for developing clinical neurosyphilis syndromes. Clinical neurosyphilis syndromes, which occur in a minority of patients, may become apparent at any time in the natural history of untreated disease and often cause serious morbidity for individuals who develop them. Because there is no single sensitive and highly specific test for neurosyphilis diagnosis, clinicians must approach this important syndrome using a combination of clinical and laboratory data and a firm understanding of the disease.

HIV Infections↗
PubMed2001

[Cryptococcal meningitis and positive syphilitic serology in a patient infected by HIV].

Co-infection of Cryptococcal meningitis and syphilis is rare. We report the first case of coinfection with cryptococcus neoformans and treponema pallidum in Dakar. There was a 41 yearold senegalese man with HIV2 infection despite a CD4 count of 50 /mm3. The patient have had the history of precedent genital ulcerations and trush. Finally he died on eigth day of treatment with Fluconazol and Penicillin G.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Lack of effectiveness of ofloxacin against experimental syphilis in rabbits.

Ofloxacin, a new pyridone-carboxylic acid derivative, was evaluated in experimental syphilis in rabbits in comparison with penicillin G. Experimental syphilis was established by intradermal injection of Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum Nichols. Ten days after infection, the dermal lesions were characterized by syphilitic papula accompanied with central necrosis. These animals were subsequently treated either with ofloxacin twice a day at an oral dose of 10 mg/kg or with penicillin G once a day at an intramuscular dose of 10,000 U/kg for 21 consecutive days. In penicillin G-treated animals, the dermal lesions became smaller as early as day 3 of treatment and almost disappeared during the therapy. In marked contrast to remarkable efficacy of penicillin G was further development of the lesions in ofloxacin-treated animals, showing no difference in pathological manifestations as compared to untreated animals. The results of nontreponemal serologic test correlated well with the response of animals to treatment.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Necrotizing ulcerative periodontitis.

In patients with no known systemic disease or immune dysfunction, necrotizing periodontitis (NUP) appears to share many of the clinical and etiologic characteristics of necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis (NUG) except that patients with NUP demonstrate loss of clinical attachment and alveolar bone at affected sites. In these patients, NUP may be a sequela of a single or multiple episodes of NUG or may be the result of the occurrence of necrotizing disease at a previously periodontitis-affected site. The existence of immune dysfunction may predispose patients to NUG and NUP, especially when associated with an infection of microorganisms frequently associated with periodontal disease such as Treponema and Selenomonas species, Fuscobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella intermedia, and Porphyromonas gingivalis. The role of immune dysfunction is exemplified by the occasionally aggressive nature of necrotic forms of periodontal disease seen in patients with HIV infection or malnutrition, both of which may impact host defenses. Clinical studies of HIV-infected patients have shown that patients with NUP are 20.8 times more likely to have CD4+ cell counts below 200 cells/mm3. However, these same studies have demonstrated that most patients with CD4+ cell counts below 200 cells/mm do not have NUP, suggesting that other factors, in addition to immunocompromisation, are involved. Further studies are needed to define the complex interactions between the microbial, or viral, etiology of necrotic lesions and the immunocompromised host. It is, therefore, recommended that NUG and NUP be classified together under the grouping of necrotizing periodontal diseases based on their clinical characteristics.

Disease Progression↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Congenital infections caused by TORCH agents].

The frequency of transplacental infections varies depending on the pathogen responsible. Of the TORCH infections this paper studies the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinics, therapy and prophylaxis of infections caused by Rubella, Varicella-Zoster, Cytomegalo and Herpes Simplex Viruses and by Toxoplasma Gondii, Treponema Pallidum.

Chickenpox↗
PubMed1991

Specific syphilis serological tests may become negative in HIV infection.

The diagnosis of syphilis is frequently dependent upon the results of serological tests, but the reliability of syphilis serology in patients with HIV-1 infection has been questioned. We examined specific antibody to Treponema pallidum (TP) using the TP haemagglutination (TPHA) and fluorescent treponemal antibody-absorption (FTA-ABS) tests in AIDS patients and HIV-antibody-negative controls with a history of syphilis. Tests were carried out on two sera separated by an interval of at least 3 years from each patient. Twelve out of 29 AIDS patients compared with four out of 29 controls showed significant falls in titres of specific antibody as measured by the TPHA, FTA-ABS, or by both the TPHA and FTA-ABS (P = 0.02). Furthermore, in three out of 29 (10%) of the AIDS patients with past syphilis infections both the TPHA and FTA-ABS became non-reactive. We conclude that negative specific serology does not exclude a past syphilis infection in patients with AIDS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2004

Treponema denticola immunoinhibitory protein induces irreversible G1 arrest in activated human lymphocytes.

Oral spirochetes may contribute to the pathogenesis of a number of disorders including periodontal and periradicular diseases; however, the mechanism (s) by which these organisms act to cause disease is unknown. We have previously shown that extracts of the oral spirochete, Treponema denticola, contain an immunosuppressive protein (Sip) which impairs human lymphocyte proliferation. The objective of this study was to determine the mechanism by which Sip alters the proliferative response of lymphocytes. Human T-cells were activated by PHA in the presence or absence of Sip and cell cycle progression was assessed by flow cytometry. Cell cycle distribution was based upon DNA, RNA and protein content as well as expression of the activation markers; CD69 and IL-2R. Seventy-two hours following activation with PHA, cells were found in the G0, G1, S and G2/M phases of the cell cycle. In contrast, pretreatment with Sip resulted in a significant reduction of cells in the S and G2/M phases and a concomitant increase in the G1 phase. Sip did not alter the expression of the early activation markers CD69 and CD25R. To determine if G1 arrest resulted in activation of the checkpoint and cell death, we also monitored Sip-treated cells for apoptosis. Indeed, treatment with Sip resulted in both DNA fragmentation and caspase activation after 96 h. Our results indicate that Sip induces G1 arrest in human T-cells and, furthermore, that the arrest is irreversible, culminating in activation of the apoptotic cascade. We propose that if cell cycle arrest occurs in vivo, it may result in local and/or systemic immunosuppression and thereby enhance the pathogenicity of spirochetes and/or that of other opportunistic organisms.

Antigens, CD↗
PubMed2006

[Pathogenic potential of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola and Tannerella forsythia, the red bacterial complex associated with periodontitis].

Periodontitis are mixed bacterial infections leading to destruction of tooth-supporting tissues, including periodontal ligament and alveolar bone. Among over 500 bacterial species living in the oral cavity, a bacterial complex named "red complex" and made of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola and Tannerella forsythia has been strongly related to advanced periodontal lesions. While periodontopathogenic bacteria are the primary etiologic factor of periodontitis, tissue destruction essentially results from the host immune response to the bacterial challenge. Members of the red complex are Gram negative anaerobic bacteria expressing numerous virulence factors allowing bacteria to colonize the subgingival sites, to disturb the host defense system, to invade and destroy periodontal tissue as well as to promote the immunodestructive host response. This article reviews current knowledge of the pathogenic mechanisms of bacteria of the red complex leading to tissue and alveolar bone destruction observed during periodontitis.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

[A method for evaluating the activity of antibiotics during the early phase of syphilitic infection].

The aim of our study is to evaluate the activity of antibiotics on Treponema pallidum (Tp) in the early stage of syphilis. Serum elimination kinetics for the antibiotic under study are first determined in rabbits. Four groups of seronegative rabbits are then submitted to intratesticular injection of a calibrated inoculum of Tp (Nichols virulent strain). The antibiotic is given simultaneously (TO), 3, 6 or 10 days after inoculation. Treated animals, as well as a control group of simultaneously infected untreated animals, are monitored for physical and serological changes for three months. Every animal is then tested according to the techniques of experimental rabbit syphilis to provide final conclusions. The technique investigates the direct activity on Tp of given serum concentrations of an antibiotic, and therefore the therapeutical effectiveness of an agent in a selected dosage. It also allows demonstration of sublethal activity on Tp of serum concentrations which are adequate for treating other concurrent infections (including STD) but not syphilis.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

[Syphilitic aortitis. Experience of an internal medicine unit].

INTRODUCTION: Infectious aortitis remains a rare disease. It is characterized by an endarteritis of infectious origin generally followed by the development of a so called mycotic aneurysm. Those infectious aneurysms account for 0.5 to 1.3% of all aortic aneurysms. Of the infectious agents, Treponema pallidum has a particular place. Cardiovascular syphilitic infection was very common at the beginning of the XX(th) century with a prevalence of 6.9% of all autopsies. In 1950-1960, the prevalence had decreased to less than 1%. Since 1990, syphilis was considered as disappeared. EXEGESIS: we report syphilitic aortitis in four patients. Diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis are detailed. CONCLUSION: A syphilitic infection of the aorta should be looked for in every patient suffering from an inflammatory or infectious disease of aorta.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Herpesviruses in human periodontal disease.

Recent studies have identified various herpesviruses in human periodontal disease. Epstein-Barr virus type 1 (EBV-1) infects periodontal B-lymphocytes and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infects periodontal monocytes/ macrophages and T-lymphocytes. EBV-1, HCMV and other herpesviruses are present more frequently in periodontitis lesions and acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis-lesions than in gingivitis or periodontally healthy sites. Reactivation of HCMV in periodontitis lesions tends to be associated with progressing periodontal disease. Herpesvirus-associated periodontitis lesions harbor elevated levels of periodontopathic bacteria, including Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Bacteriodes forsythus, Prevotella intermedia, Prevotella nigrescens and Treponema denticola. It may be that active periodontal herpesvirus infection impairs periodontal defenses, thereby permitting subgingival overgrowth of periodontopathic bacteria. Alteration between latent and active herpesvirus infection in the periodontium might lead to transient local immunosuppression and explain in part the episodic progressive nature of human periodontitis. Tissue tropism of herpesvirus infections might help explain the localized pattern of tissue destruction in periodontitis. Absence of herpesvirus infection or viral reactivation might explain why some individuals carry periodontopathic bacteria while still maintaining periodontal health. Further studies are warranted to delineate whether the proposed herpesvirus-periodontopathic bacteria model might account for some of the pathogenic features of human periodontal disease.

Bacteria, Anaerobic↗
PubMed1988

Absence of infection with human immunodeficiency virus in Peruvian prostitutes.

We serologically tested 140 female prostitutes (mean age, 30 years) from the port city of Callao, Peru, for evidence of infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Chlamydia trachomatis, Treponema pallidum, herpes simplex viruses (HSV) I and II, and hepatitis B virus. The women had worked as prostitutes for an average of 5 years; one-fourth serviced foreign visitors exclusively, mainly sailors. Only 4 women used condoms, and only 1 woman gave a history of parenteral narcotic abuse, although 53% were regularly exposed to unsterile needles outside the medical setting for injections of vitamins, antibiotics, or steroids; another 29% are thought to probably use unsterile needles. None of the 140 prostitutes screened was seropositive for HIV, despite a very high prevalence of antibody to T. pallidum (24%), C. trachomatis (97%), HSV I and II (100%), and hepatitis B (51%); 5% were HbsAg positive. These data indicate that HIV has not yet been introduced into female prostitutes in the Peruvian port city. We believe that widespread use of unsterile needles in developing countries, such as Peru, represents a serious health threat and will amplify the spread of HIV, once introduced.

Adolescent↗