RT Book, Section
A1 Lukehart, Sheila A.
A2 Kasper, Dennis L.
A2 Fauci, Anthony S.
SR Print(0)
ID 1141409912
T1 ENDEMIC TREPONEMATOSES
T2 Harrison's Infectious Diseases, 3e
YR 2017
FD 2017
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9781259835971
LK accessbiomedicalscience.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1141409912
RD 2023/12/07
AB The  endemic  treponematoses  are  chronic  diseases  that  are  transmitted  by  direct  contact,  usually  during  childhood,  and,  like  syphilis,  can  cause  severe  late  manifestations  years  after  initial  infection.  These  diseases  are  caused  by  very  close  relatives  of  Treponema  pallidum  subspecies  pallidum,  the  etiologic  agent  of  venereal  syphilis  (Chap.  78).  Yaws,  pinta,  and  endemic  syphilis  are  traditionally  distinguished  from  venereal  syphilis  by  mode  of  transmission,  age  of  acquisition,  geographic  distribution,  and  clinical  features;  however,  there  is  some  overlap  for  each  of  these  factors.  Generally,  yaws  flourishes  in  moist  tropical  areas  of  several  regions,  endemic  syphilis  is  found  primarily  in  arid  climates,  and  pinta  is  found  in  temperate  foci  in  the  Americas  (Fig.  79-1).  These  infections  are  usually  limited  to  rural  areas  of  developing  nations  and  are  seen  in  developed  countries  only  among  recent  immigrants  from  endemic  regions.  Our  “knowledge”  about  the  endemic  treponematoses  is  based  on  observations  by  health  care  workers  who  have  visited  endemic  areas;  virtually  no  well-designed  studies  of  the  natural  history,  diagnosis,  or  treatment  of  these  infections  have  been  conducted.  The  treponemal  infections  are  compared  and  contrasted  in  Table  79-1.