SIMILAR SEROLOGICAL RESPONSE TO CONVENTIONAL THERAPY FOR SYPHILIS AMONG HIV-POSITIVE AND HIV-NEGATIVE WOMEN

Objectives-To compare characteristics of syphilis serological reactivi ty in HIV positive (+) and HIV negative (-) female sex workers, as wel l as the serological response to therapy after treatment with intramus cular benzathine penicillin, 2.4 million U weekly, for three consecuti ve weeks. Methods-Rapid plasma reagin (RPR) and Treponema pallidum hae magglutination assay (TPHA) results of 72 HIV-positive and 121 HIV-neg ative women reactive in both tests were assessed. The response to ther apy was prospectively monitored with quantitative RPR serology in 47 H IV-positive and 73 HIV-negative patients. Cumulative probabilities of becoming nonreactive by RPR were com pared at six months, one and two years after therapy. Results-At enrolment, the geometric mean titres o f RPR and lower in HIV-positive patients 1:2.6) than in HIV-negative p atients (RPR, 1:3.8; p < 0.01). The evolution over time of RPR titres was similar among HIV-positive patients as compared to HIV-negative pa tients. Among patients with an initial RPR titre of < 1:8, 53% of HIV- positive and 44% of HIV-negative patients became RPR negative two year s after therapy. Among patients with an RPR titre of 1:8 or greater at enrolment, 83% of HIV-positive and 90% of HIV-negative patients had r eached at least a fourfold decline of RPR titres two years after thera py. Conclusions-Syphilis serology findings (both RPR and TPHA) may be altered in the presence of HIV infection, but the serological response to therapy was similar in HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients.