Congenital syphilis still exists

Introduction Even today screening for congenital syphilis must be performed and confirmed by appropriate serological tests and bacteriological samples . Observation A newborn presented with an apparently materno-fetal or viral f etal disease. it was in fact congenital syphilis. The mother exhibited no r isk factors for syphilis. Systematic serological search for syphilis was ne gative in the mother at 11 weeks of amenorrhea. No signs of primary or seco ndary syphilis had been observed during pregnancy. At twenty-nine weeks of amenorrhea, the mother presented a menace of preterm delivery and no tocoly sis at 31 weeks. Examination of the newborn revealed clinical signs of atem o-fetal infection, without specificorientation. initial bacteriological and virological analyses were negative. Screening for specific Treponema palli dum M-type immunoglobulines (IgM) on the 9th day of life, confirmed the dia gnosis of congenital syphilis. Comments Diagnosis of congenital syphilis must not be eliminated during ear ly serological screening: clinical suspicion must lead to further anamnesis again and serological tests both in the newborn and the mother.