Publication
Title
Syphilis reinfection is associated with an attenuated immune profile in the same individual: a prospective observational cohort study
Author
Abstract
Background: Ascertaining if the clinical and immunological response to repeat syphilis differs from that in initial syphilis may assist in designing optimal syphilis screening strategies and vaccine design. Methods: We prospectively recruited 120 patients with a new diagnosis of (baseline) syphilis. During a 24-month follow-up period, 11 of these patients had a further diagnosis of (repeat) syphilis. We conducted a paired comparison of their plasma cyto-chemokines at baseline and repeat syphilis. Results: Comparing to their baseline infection, paired analyses of the 11 individuals with repeat infections during follow-up revealed that these reinfections had lower concentrations of Interferon (IFN) a (0.8 [Interquartile range (IQR) 0.8-0.8 vs. 12.2 [IQR 1.6-24.2], P = 0.004) and Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand (CCL) 4 (0.9 [IQR 0.9-12.2 vs. 17.5 [IQR 4.9-32.8], P = 0.022]. Conclusion: In this small study of 11 individuals, repeat syphilis was found to present with an attenuated immune response. The relevance of these findings to the design of optimal syphilis screening programs is discussed.
Language
English
Source (journal)
BMC infectious diseases. - London
Publication
London : 2018
ISSN
1471-2334
DOI
10.1186/S12879-018-3399-8
Volume/pages
18 (2018) , 7 p.
Article Reference
479
ISI
000445736100002
Pubmed ID
30253745
Medium
E-only publicatie
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 09.11.2018
Last edited 09.10.2023
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