Secondary Syphilis with Human immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Coinfection: A Case Report

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by spirochete microorganism Treponema pallidum, the infection spreads in four stages: primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary. It can impact almost all organ systems in the body, even years or even decades after the initial infection. Syphilis is an infection that could be transmitted sexually with almost 21.000 new cases in Indonesia. The CDC also estimates that 44% of men who have sex with men and bisexual men who test positive for syphilis will also have HIV. The infection has also re-emerged in developed countries in homosexual population with high number of cases co-infected with HIV. Syphilis is also very common among people with multiple sexual partners, Significant risk factors include HIV infection, this coinfection is common, and the two diseases affect each other in several ways. HIV and syphilis each facilitate infection by the other, and aggravate one another’s clinical course. A 34year-old male was referred from public health center with red rashes found on the palm and soles bilaterally since 1 month before visit. Dermatological examination of the palms and soles showed multiple violaceous macules with clear boundaries, with varying sizes between 0.5cm-1cm,no alopecia,no abnormalities were found in oral mucosa, The result of VDRL examination the titer was 1:64, and TPHA result was Positif. Rapid HIV test showed positive result. Patient was prescribed Benzanthine Peniciline injection intra muscular 2.4 million IU, the patient experienced clinical improvement and decreased VDRL and TPHA titers after a two month of evaluation. Co-infection of syphilis and HIV , HIV and syphilis each facilitate infection by the other, and aggravate one another’s clinical course. The majority of persons with HIV infection respond appropriately to the recommended benzathine penicillin G treatment regimen for primary and secondary syphilis.