Abstract
Syphilis remains a common congenital infection over the globe. There has been a tremendous
rise in the number of congenital syphilis cases worldwide in the last 20 years. It
affects large numbers of pregnant mothers in high burden regions causing a significantly
high perinatal mortality and morbidity, which can be easily prevented by early antenatal
screening and treatment.
Diagnosis of maternal syphilis in pregnancy mainly based on clinical symptoms, serological
tests and direct identification of treponemes in clinical samples. However, the diagnosis
can be challenging due to the relapsing-remitting nature of the disease. The early
stage of the infection is usually symptomatic which is commonly followed by an asymptomatic
latent phase but infectious and as a result serological tests will be positive. The
risk of transplacental transmission is high during the second and third trimester.
Obstetric complications of syphilis include spontaneous miscarriage, non-immune hydrops,
stillbirth, preterm labour, low birth weight, increased neonatal mortality and congenital
syphilis among neonates.
Penicillin is the drug of choice for treatment and should be commenced immediately.
Babies born to mothers with syphilis should also be treated with penicillin. Early
detection and prompt intervention are the key to the prevention and successful control
of congenital syphilis. The aim of this review is to highlight the impact of syphilis
infection on pregnancy and discuss the current trends in diagnosis and management
of maternal and congenital syphilis.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 01, 2021
Accepted:
January 8,
2021
Received in revised form:
December 28,
2020
Received:
October 29,
2020
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 Published by Elsevier B.V.
