[Secondary syphilis with pulmonary involvement]
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Updated: Jan 4, 2026

Author Spotlight: Advancing Syphilis Research — Innovations in Treponema pallidum Cultivation and Genetic Engineering
Published on: January 24, 2025
Jerónimo Campos1, Glenda Ernst1, Carina Simionato2
1Centro de Medicina Respiratoria, Hospital Británico, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Abstract:
We present the case of a 62-year-old woman who consulted for fever (38°), stabbing thoracic pain (on one side), and pruritic skin lesions. She underwent peripheral blood tests, chest X-rays and CT. Her symptoms were interpreted as severe communityacquired pneumonia. After a treatment with antibiotics, her skin lesions persisted, and other symptoms were only partially relieved. A skin biopsy was performed, which revealed Treponema pallidum. Such finding was confirmed through positive serum VDRL and FTA-ABS tests. The patient received 4 doses of benzathine penicillin G with favorable evolution of skin lesions and improvement of radiological images.
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