Open AccessMore than meets the eye: Monocular syphilis in an HIV-negative patient
Author(s) -
Nichole E Strickland,
Amanda Strickland,
Mark Feldman
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
case reports in internal medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2332-7251
pISSN - 2332-7243
DOI - 10.5430/crim.v1n2p29
Subject(s) - neurosyphilis , rapid plasma reagin , syphilis , medicine , pleocytosis , lymphocytic pleocytosis , titer , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , cerebrospinal fluid , penicillin , syphilis serodiagnosis , immunology , treponema , encephalitis , antibiotics , antibody , virus , microbiology and biotechnology , biology
A 50-year old heterosexual male presented with discomfort in his left eye and abnormal behavior. Physical examination showed a red eye suggestive of uveitis. He was found to have a reactive rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test in high titer and a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis, with a reactive Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) titer in the CSF. Testing for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 and HIV-2 was negative. He was diagnosed with ocular/neurosyphilis and treated with intravenous (IV) penicillin G for 14 days followed by an intramuscular injection of benzathine penicillin, with complete resolution of ocular findings and behavioral changes. This report illustrates an unusual presentation of ocular/neurosyphilis in an HIV-negative i