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Updated: Jun 16, 2026
11:14
Ex Vivo Infection of Human Lymphoid Tissue and Female Genital Mucosa with Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 and Histoculture
Published on: October 12, 2018
Ocular syphilis and HIV infection.
Damien Biotti1, Samuel Bidot, Sophie Mahy
1Département d'Infectiologie CHU Dijon.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
|February 2, 2010
Summary
Ocular syphilis is uncommon but serious in HIV-positive individuals. One-fifth of syphilis cases in these patients involved the eye, highlighting the need for prompt diagnosis and treatment.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection can alter the course and presentation of opportunistic infections.
- Ocular syphilis is historically considered rare in the context of HIV co-infection.
Observation:
- A 5-year prospective study evaluated 509 HIV-positive patients.
- Syphilis was diagnosed in 3.9% of the study cohort.
- Ocular involvement was observed in one-fifth of the diagnosed syphilis cases.
Findings:
- Syphilis diagnosis occurred in a notable percentage of HIV-positive patients.
- A significant proportion of these syphilis cases presented with ocular manifestations.
- HIV-positive patients with syphilis face a high risk of severe visual sequelae.
Implications:
- The findings challenge the notion of ocular syphilis being rare in HIV-infected populations.
- Early detection and management of syphilis are crucial in HIV-positive individuals to prevent vision loss.
- Public health strategies should emphasize syphilis screening and prevention in this vulnerable group.
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