[Syphilitic uveitis and human immunodeficiency virus infection]

Ocular syphilis is rare in human immunodeficiency virus infected individuals. We think that syphilis should be considered in evaluating such patients presenting with uveitis. Most often, ocular syphilis includes retinitis associated with anterior or posterior uveitis, sometimes with optic neuritis. Concurrent neurosyphilis is frequent and may be more aggressive; it may progress more rapidly and cause more atypical signs than in patients without human immunodeficiency virus infection. This suggests the need for lumbar puncture in the evaluation of coinfected patients. The standard serological tests for syphilis (in blood and cerebrospinal fluid) may be nonreactive in human immunodeficiency virus seropositive patients. It may be because of the alteration of immunologic response of such patients. All coinfected patients with human immunodeficiency virus and syphilis should be treated with high-dose intravenous penicillin G sodium as recommended for neurosyphilis. We describe two human immunodeficiency virus infected patients with ocular syphilis and neurosyphilis.