Universal antenatal screening for syphilis: is it still justified economically? A 10-year retrospective analysis.

Objective: Because universal prenatal screening for syphilis has recently been called into question, we documented the development of syphilis in Austria and analysed the effectiveness of current antenatal syphilis screening practices.

Methods: The development of syphilis in Austria and Vienna was determined based on the data published by the Austrian Bureau of National Statistics (Statistik Austria) and the Vienna Health Authority (Gesundheitsamt Wien, MA15), respectively. The data obtained for Vienna were then compared with those for the remaining eight federal provinces.

Placental passage of clarithromycin surpasses other macrolide antibiotics.

Objective: Infection of the amnion cavity with Ureaplasma urealyticum continues to be a therapeutic challenge. The transplacental transfer rates of macrolide antibiotics are low, and tetracyclines and quinolones are contraindicated in pregnancy. The aim of this study was to investigate placental transfer of clarithromycin in a well-studied placental perfusion model to determine whether clarithromycin surpasses the transfer rate of other macrolide antibiotics in similar models.