Screening for maternal syphilis has been an essential component of routine antenatal screening tests in most countries for many years. This is not only because of the virulence of the spirochete which causes the infec...Screening for maternal syphilis has been an essential component of routine antenatal screening tests in most countries for many years. This is not only because of the virulence of the spirochete which causes the infection but also because of its vertical transmission rate and the potential severe adverse complications/morbidity that can result from its transmission to the fetus. Although the incidence of maternal syphilis and its fetal sequalae in low-income countries has been considerable for several years, the disease has been almost non-existent in high income countries with wide antenatal screening coverage and effective treatment programmes for Syphilis. The recent alarming increase in the incidence of maternal syphilis in high income countries has spawned a renewed public health interest in the infection, with several countries updating and strengthening public health guidance in an attempt to stem this dramatic trend. This is a short clinical update for the practising obstetrician on how to manage the antenatal patient with a positive syphilis screening test.展开更多
Objective:To report our experience with two tests,anti-cardiolipin antibody test[venereal disease reasearch laboratory(VDRL) test]and specific treponemal test(Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay),used for screen...Objective:To report our experience with two tests,anti-cardiolipin antibody test[venereal disease reasearch laboratory(VDRL) test]and specific treponemal test(Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay),used for screening antenatal,high risk cases and cases from sexually transmitted infection in a tertiary care hospital from January 2006 till December 2008.Methods:A total of 14639 samples received from various patient groups including antenatal cases,patients attending sexually transmitted disease(STD) clinic,blood donors and HIV positive patients were screened.Results:Among the 14639 samples collected,103 were positive by VDRL test.Of these 89 cases were confirmed by quantitative VDRL test and Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay.The cumulative seroprevalence over two years was found to be 0.61%in this study.The syphilis seroprevalence reduced from 0.88%in 2006 to 0.40%in 2008.Among the various sub-populations studied,patients attending the sexually transmitted infection clinic showed a seroprevalence of 2.62%.The seroprevalence decreased significantly from 4.00%in 2006 to1.39%in 2008.Conclusions:Our study showed a statistically significant declining rate of syphilis in STD clinics as well as the overall seroprevalence.These findings could be interpreted as indicators of improved programmes for prevention and management of STDs.展开更多
文摘Screening for maternal syphilis has been an essential component of routine antenatal screening tests in most countries for many years. This is not only because of the virulence of the spirochete which causes the infection but also because of its vertical transmission rate and the potential severe adverse complications/morbidity that can result from its transmission to the fetus. Although the incidence of maternal syphilis and its fetal sequalae in low-income countries has been considerable for several years, the disease has been almost non-existent in high income countries with wide antenatal screening coverage and effective treatment programmes for Syphilis. The recent alarming increase in the incidence of maternal syphilis in high income countries has spawned a renewed public health interest in the infection, with several countries updating and strengthening public health guidance in an attempt to stem this dramatic trend. This is a short clinical update for the practising obstetrician on how to manage the antenatal patient with a positive syphilis screening test.
文摘Objective:To report our experience with two tests,anti-cardiolipin antibody test[venereal disease reasearch laboratory(VDRL) test]and specific treponemal test(Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay),used for screening antenatal,high risk cases and cases from sexually transmitted infection in a tertiary care hospital from January 2006 till December 2008.Methods:A total of 14639 samples received from various patient groups including antenatal cases,patients attending sexually transmitted disease(STD) clinic,blood donors and HIV positive patients were screened.Results:Among the 14639 samples collected,103 were positive by VDRL test.Of these 89 cases were confirmed by quantitative VDRL test and Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay.The cumulative seroprevalence over two years was found to be 0.61%in this study.The syphilis seroprevalence reduced from 0.88%in 2006 to 0.40%in 2008.Among the various sub-populations studied,patients attending the sexually transmitted infection clinic showed a seroprevalence of 2.62%.The seroprevalence decreased significantly from 4.00%in 2006 to1.39%in 2008.Conclusions:Our study showed a statistically significant declining rate of syphilis in STD clinics as well as the overall seroprevalence.These findings could be interpreted as indicators of improved programmes for prevention and management of STDs.
