ORAL SYPHILIS: CLINICAL, HISTOPATHOLOGIC, AND IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL ASPECTS

• Published in: Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology and oral radiology oral medicine, oral pathology and oral radiology, 2020-09, Vol.130 (3), p.e135-e135
• Main Authors: SANTOS, ANA CLARA CARDOSO DOS, TRINDADE, MARCOS BRUNO, ROSA, ANA CLÁUDIA GARCIA, LACERDA, ANA PAULA ALVES GONÇALVES, SOARES, DEYZE ALENCAR, SANTOS, FABRÍCIO PASSADOR, CRUZ, EDUARDO ZAMBALDI DA
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2212-4403; 2212-4411
• DOI: 10.1016/j.oooo.2020.04.124

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection, caused by the spirochete bacteria Treponema pallidum (TP), for which humans are the only reservoir. There are several clinical manifestations of syphilis, depending on the stage of disease (primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary). The congenital syphilis is a consequence of infection of the fetus, via the placenta. We report a case of secondary syphilis diagnosed with an oral lesion biopsy. A 26-year immunocompetent man was referred with an asymptomatic, single reddish ulceration in the palate. The histopathologic analysis of tissue specimen obtained by biopsy showed an epithelium with pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia, ulceration, acanthosis, and exocytosis, with a chronic inflammatory infiltrate of plasma cells in the connective tissue. Immunohistochemical reactions for the spirochete bacteria using anti-TP antibody were positive. The diagnosis of syphilis was confirmed by venereal disease research laboratory and fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption complementary tests, and the patient was treated with penicillin, without recurrence after 2 years’ of follow-up.