Bejel: an unusual etiology of childhood stomatitis

Introduction. Bejel (endemic syphilis) is usually encountered in children l iving in intertropical areas, although imported cases have been exceptional ly reported in Europe. Observation. We report on a young girl aged 5 diagnosed in France, who had painless stomatitis and enlarged cervical nodes. Diagnosis of bejel was con firmed by serology, and spirochetes were shown inside mucous patches by bio psy specimen silver staining. Favorable clinical and serological outcome oc curred following benzathin-penicillin therapy. Contamination is likely to h ave occurred in Mall where she had been living for several years, but secon dary stage manifestations only appeared in France, where she was living for several months. Discussion. Although rare in France, bejel should not be overlooked in chil dren originating from countries where endemic syphilis has a high prevalenc e.