Cornelis A Rietmeijer1,2, More Mungati3, Peter H Kilmarx1,4, Beth Tippett Barr4, Elizabeth Gonese4, Ranmini S Kularatne5,6, David A Lewis7,8, Jeffrey D Klausner9, Luanne Rodgers10, H Hunter Handsfield11. 1. From the Rietmeijer Consulting, LLC, Denver, CO. 2. Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO. 3. Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Lesotho. 4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Global Health and Tuberculosis, Harare, Zimbabwe. 5. Centre for HIV and STIs, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa. 6. Department of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. 7. Western Sydney Sexual Health Centre, Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia. 8. Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity & Sydney Medical School-Westmead, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 9. Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Center for World Health, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA. 10. Biomedical Research and Training Institute, Harare, Zimbabwe. 11. University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Syphilis prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa appears to be stable or declining but is still the highest globally. Ongoing sentinel surveillance in high-risk populations is necessary to inform management and detect changes in syphilis trends. We assessed serological syphilis markers among persons with sexually transmitted infections in Zimbabwe. METHODS: We studied a predominantly urban, regionally diverse group of women and men presenting with genital ulcer disease (GUD), women with vaginal discharge and men with urethral discharge at clinics in Zimbabwe. Syphilis tests included rapid plasma reagin and the Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay. RESULTS: Among 436 evaluable study participants, 36 (8.3%) tested positive for both rapid plasma reagin and Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay: women with GUD: 19.2%, men with GUD: 12.6%, women with vaginal discharge: 5.7% and men with urethral discharge: 1.5% (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Syphilis rates in Zimbabwe are high in sentinel populations, especially men and women with GUD.
BACKGROUND: Syphilis prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa appears to be stable or declining but is still the highest globally. Ongoing sentinel surveillance in high-risk populations is necessary to inform management and detect changes in syphilis trends. We assessed serological syphilis markers among persons with sexually transmitted infections in Zimbabwe. METHODS: We studied a predominantly urban, regionally diverse group of women and men presenting with genital ulcer disease (GUD), women with vaginal discharge and men with urethral discharge at clinics in Zimbabwe. Syphilis tests included rapid plasma reagin and the Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay. RESULTS: Among 436 evaluable study participants, 36 (8.3%) tested positive for both rapid plasma reagin and Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay: women with GUD: 19.2%, men with GUD: 12.6%, women with vaginal discharge: 5.7% and men with urethral discharge: 1.5% (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Syphilis rates in Zimbabwe are high in sentinel populations, especially men and women with GUD.
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