Syphilis in pregnancy.

Syphilis in pregnancy remains a problem despite the availability of adequate diagnostic tests and years of penicillin therapy. During pregnancy, syphilis is compounded by its occurrence among populations that under-use the health care system and by its association with cocaine use and infection with HIV. The potentially devastating effect of syphilis on the fetus and attendant adverse outcomes on the pregnancy continue to make syphilis a global problem of major medical and public health consequences.