SYPHILITIC ENDOMETRITIS CAUSING FIRST TRIMESTER ABORTION - A POTENTIAL INFECTIOUS CAUSE OF FETAL MORBIDITY IN EARLY GESTATION

This report describes a 30-year-old woman with a history of prostituti on and ''crack'' cocaine use during pregnancy. After an incomplete abo rtion at 11 weeks' gestation, a suction dilatation and curettage of ut erine contents was done. Histopathologic examination revealed lymphopl asmacytic deciduitis and decidual necrosis, as well as rare first trim ester chorionic villi. Silver staining using the Steiner technique sho wed numerous spirochetes, morphologically consistent with Treponema pa llidum, in the decidualized endometrial tissues. This case of syphilit ic endometritis, which: appears to be the first reported, suggests tha t treponemal infection can cause fetal morbidity during early gestatio n.