Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of individuals with very high rapid plasma reagin

Int J STD AIDS. 2014 Jul;25(8):593-5. doi: 10.1177/0956462413515636. Epub 2013 Dec 18.

Abstract

The objective of the study was to identify clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients with infectious syphilis who presented with a high rapid plasma reagin (RPR) titre (≥1: 512) during the year of 2009 at the Miami Dade County Health Department (MDCHD) STD clinic. Potential cases were identified by a search in the electronic database. Among 519 individuals identified with reactive RPR, 190 individuals met criteria for infectious syphilis and 32 of them had at least one RPR titre of ≥1: 512. We found that the majority of individuals with high RPR were men who have sex with men (82%), from ethnic minorities (91%), and HIV infected (75%) but only 3 of them were on antiretroviral therapy. Overall, 50% of these patients with very high RPR titres were symptomatic, and the most common symptom was skin rash (93%).

Keywords: AIDS; HIV; MSM; Syphilis; Treponema pallidum; high RPR; rapid plasma reagin; sexually transmitted infection.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Female
  • Florida / epidemiology
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique
  • HIV Infections / epidemiology
  • Hemagglutination Tests
  • Heterosexuality / statistics & numerical data
  • Homosexuality, Male / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Reagent Kits, Diagnostic
  • Reagins / blood*
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Syphilis / diagnosis*
  • Syphilis / epidemiology*
  • Syphilis / immunology
  • Syphilis Serodiagnosis / methods*
  • Treponema pallidum / immunology
  • Treponema pallidum / isolation & purification*

Substances

  • Reagent Kits, Diagnostic
  • Reagins