Venereal Diseases Today

Primary syphilis remains a cause of oral ulceration

“…Oral chancres usually manifest as painful, sometimes necrotic, ulcers associated with non-tender enlargement of the regional lymph nodes. 15 T. pallidum can be identified in lesions by dark field microscopy or direct immunofluorescence, but usually serological confirmation is necessary. Currently employed diagnostic serologic tests for syphilis include those detecting antibodies to non-specific treponemal antigens -the Rapid Plasma Reagin (RPR) and Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL), and those detecting antibodies specific to T. pallidum -the T. pallidum haemagglutination assay (TPHA) and fluorescent treponema antibodies absorbed assay (FTA-Abs).…”

Social and epidemiological determinants of gonorrhoea in an East African country.

“…Further data not given in Table III regarding profession, tribe, and habitat were studied, but a regular married life remained the only parameter clearly influencing the incidence of gonorrhoea. Other authors have pointed to low grade education (Willcox, 1962;Fiumara, Appel, Hill, and Mescon, 1959;Ekstrom, 1970), itinerant occupations (Lees, 1951;Wilson Rae, 1951;Shepard and Page, 1955;British Cooperative Clinical Group, 1956;Haro and Patiala, 1957;Ekstr6m, 1970), low income, unemployment, and slum housing (Siddhu and others, 1969;Platts, 1969;Brown, 1970;Ekstrom, 1970). Gonorrhoea has also been found to be common among university students (Arya and Bennett, 1967;Juhlin, 1968) and especially among immigrants (Laird, 1963;Willcox, 1963c).…”

Any Questions?

“…Already the transmission of gonorrhoea by artificial insemination has been reported. 7 Since the accuracy of a medical or genetic history depend heavily on the knowledge and truthfulness of the donor the semen bank which does not perform a medical follow-up necessarily relies on the donor's knowledge and on his willingness to impart this knowledge truthfully. A donor, however, may not know that he is a carrier of a transmittable disease; and reliance on the honesty of the donor also has its pitfalls.…”