Misclassification of the stages of syphilis: implications for surveillance.

Short Summary: Syphilis cases were reviewed to see if reported stages met the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention case definition. Classification was excellent for primary and secondary and good for late latent, but half of early latent and unknown duration were misclassified. New surveillance definitions are suggested, comments requested.

The syphilis reactor grid: help or hindrance for syphilis surveillance?

Background: Health departments use reactor grids (sex, age, and serologic test for syphilis [STS] titer criteria) to determine which persons to evaluate for untreated syphilis.

Goal: The goal of the study was to assess reactor grid performance in Chicago and reactor grid use nationally in 1999 to 2000.

Study Design: We reviewed Chicago health department records to identify characteristics of persons with a reactive STS excluded from evaluation by reactor grid criteria and syphilis cases not meeting evaluation criteria.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Men Who Have Sex with Men: An Epidemiologic Review.

The introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has led to dramatic reductions in morbidity and mortality due to HIV infection. However, the resulting optimism and improved health status produced by HAART appears to have contributed to unanticipated consequences in men who have sex with men (MSM): loss of fear of acquiring and transmitting HIV, an increase in high-risk sex, decreased use of condoms, and a resurgence of gonorrhea and syphilis. Other factors, such as lack of knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), use of the Internet as a venue to find sex partners, the increasing use of Viagra (Pfizer, New York, NY) as a recreational drug, and the apparent expanding role of oral sex in STD transmission are fueling these trends.

Occupationally acquired human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection: national case surveillance data during 20 years of the HIV epidemic in the United States.

Objective: To characterize occupationally acquired human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection detected through case surveillance efforts in the United States.

Design: National surveillance systems, based on voluntary case reporting.

Setting: Healthcare or laboratory (clinical or research) settings.