Round Bodies Detected by Treponema pallidum Immunohistochemical Stain in Two Cases of Cutaneous Syphilitic Gummata.

ABSTRACT: Tertiary syphilis may present a diagnostic challenge due to negative nontreponemal serologies in up to 30% of cases and frequent lack of identifiable spirochetes on histopathology or other direct detection tests. We report 2 cases of round bodies staining with Treponema pallidum immunohistochemistry by light microscopy in biopsies from cutaneous syphilitic gummata. In 1 case, the finding was validated 3 times by 2 independent laboratories; in the other case, T. pallidum was detected by polymerase chain reaction in the biopsy sample. Spirochete round bodies have previously been reported in the setting of electron microscopy and fluorography, but to the best of our knowledge, have not been reported by light microscopy in a routine skin biopsy. Although the clinical implications are unclear, this may represent a helpful new paradigm for the diagnosis of tertiary syphilis.

Penile annular and scrotal eczematoid syphilids with penile chancre redux.

We describe a 17-year-old man who developed penile annular and scrotal eczematoid syphilids with penile chancre redux. Dermoscopy showed linear-irregular and hairpin vessels with white scales in annular lesions. Histopathology displayed psoriasiform hyperplasia with perivascular lymphoplasmacytic dermal infiltrate. Rapid plasma reagin and Treponema pallidumparticle agglutination assays were positive. The lesions disappeared after intramuscular benzathine penicillin.

Umbilical condyloma lata.

Condyloma lata, a cutaneous manifestation of secondary syphilis, usually appear as verrucous papules and plaques in the anogenital area. Involvement of the umbilicus is very uncommon. Thus, awareness of this presentation, along with appropriate history, physical exam, and laboratory testing may aid clinicians in prompt and accurate diagnosis. We describe a patient with an unusual presentation of condyloma lata on the umbilicus.

Syphilis the great pretender: when is cancer not cancer?

The number of cases of syphilis continues to rise in the UK, USA and elsewhere and may present to a variety of clinical specialties. We report a complex case of early acquired disseminated syphilis causing an ulceronodular rash (lues maligna), orchitis, osteitis and lung nodules in an immunocompetent man who has sex with men who presented to the genitourinary medicine clinic. Syphilis should be considered in the differential diagnoses of multiple clinical presentations and optimal management should involve multidisciplinary care.

[Cutaneous infections: Pathologist's role in unusual or atypical situations]. / Infections cutanées : place du pathologiste dans les situations inhabituelles ou atypiques.

In infectious pathology, the gold standard consists of the detection of the pathogen within the sample. Identification of the pathogen is often difficult despite the presence of few and inexpensive tools, such, as special stain, immunohistochemistry, or in situ hybridization specific of the pathogen. In infectious pathology, there are morphological signs, which can guide us towards an etiology. We present some clinicopathological examples illustrating rare or unusual situations in cutaneous infectious pathology.

Late latent mucinous syphilis mimicking connective tissue disease.

As evidenced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics, syphilis is yet again on the rise. It is known as the great mimicker because of its variable symptoms and how frequently it can be confused with other diseases. The different stages of syphilis (primary, secondary, latent, late latent and tertiary) are discussed. We describe a new histopathologic pattern of syphilis, one that mimics connective tissue disease and can represent a diagnostic pitfall. In this time and age, when syphilis is rising especially among the men who have sex with men subgroup, it is important to keep a high index of suspicion of syphilis even when clinically and histopathologically the findings on first glance may not appear characteristic.

Malignant syphilis: ostraceous, ulceronecrotic lesions in a patient with human immunodeficiency virus.

We present a 36-year-old HIV-positive man with a sixweek history of spreading, ulcerative, and necroticcutaneous lesions. Laboratory and histopathologicexamination revealed syphilis. This case of malignantsyphilis, also known as lues maligna, is an uncommonvariant of this sexually transmitted infection. This casehighlights the importance of including malignantsyphilis in the differential diagnosis of patientspresenting with a disseminated ulcerative andnecrotic rash, especially in individuals with HIV.

Histologic features of secondary syphilis: A multicenter retrospective review.

BACKGROUND: Secondary syphilis has a wide spectrum of clinical and histologic manifestations. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the frequency of histopathological features characterizing secondary syphilis, and which are most common in specimens displaying few diagnostic findings. METHODS: In a multicenter, retrospective analysis of biopsy-proven secondary syphilis, cases were subcategorized by the number of histologic characteristics present. RESULTS: The 106 cases mostly had 5 to 7 of the features studied. Many features were scarcer in cases with 5 or fewer features, including endothelial swelling (87.7% overall vs 72.4% ≤5 features), plasma cells (69.8% vs 48.3%), and elongated rete ridges (75.5% vs 27.6%). Specimens with 5 or fewer features were more likely to be truncal (61.1% vs 34.4% overall), demonstrate rete ridge effacement (44.8% vs 19.8%), and have pityriasis rosea (33.3% vs 17.2%) or drug eruption (33.3% vs 10.9%) in the clinical differential. An interstitial inflammatory pattern was the most common characteristic of specimens with 5 or fewer features (75.9%). LIMITATIONS: This was a retrospective review. CONCLUSION: The independent value of many histologic features of syphilis may be overestimated. Combinations of endothelial swelling, interstitial inflammation, irregular acanthosis, and elongated rete ridges should raise the possibility of syphilis, along with the presence of vacuolar interface dermatitis with a lymphocyte in nearly every vacuole and lymphocytes with visible cytoplasm.

Pathologically confirmed malignant syphilis using immunohistochemical staining: report of 3 cases and review of the literature.

Malignant syphilis is a rare ulcerative variety. In the classical description of the disease, the absence of spirochetes in tissue samples was considered as a diagnostic criterion. We report 3 cases of malignant syphilis; in all of them, spirochetes were identified in cutaneous biopsy samples using immunohistochemical staining.

Nodular secondary syphilis with associated granulomatous inflammation: case report and literature review.

A 62-year-old male presented with a 10-day history of a diffuse, erythematous papular rash sparing the palms and soles. Histopathologic examination of a skin lesion showed loose non-caseating granulomas in a lymphoplasmacytic background. Scattered spirochetes were identified by Treponema pallidum immunohistochemistry, in keeping with a diagnosis of secondary syphilis. Granulomatous inflammation in secondary syphilis is uncommon. A review of the literature reveals that the majority of prior reported cases of granulomatous secondary syphilis share similar characteristics to this case; namely, a papular or nodular clinical presentation, sparing of the palms and soles, and collections of epithelioid histiocytes with associated lymphocytes and variable numbers of plasma cells.

Condyloma lata of the umbilicus: A case report highlighting the present syphilis emergency.

Syphilis is an ancient sexually transmitted infection that plagues communities across the United States and the world. Cutaneous syphilis has a wide variety of manifestations and presentations, and is notoriously difficult to identify clinically as a result. In this report, we describe the case of a 30-year-old patient with condyloma lata on the umbilicus, an extremely rare site for the presentation of these lesions. With the recent surge in syphilis infections nationwide, including congenital infections, this case underscores the urgent necessity for heightened syphilis awareness and suspicion among clinicians.