日本性感染症学会誌 Journal of Japanese Society for Sexually Transmitted Infections

A retrospective examination of 41 female patients diagnosed with primary and secondary syphilis using serological tests and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed. Of the total, 25 patients had positive results in both serological and PCR tests, whereas 6 were positive only in serological tests, indicating a false-negative result obtained by PCR. The remaining patients had a positive result only in PCR and were suspected to have been tested during the serological latency period soon after Treponema pallidum infection. False-negative diagnoses can be minimized by standardizing the sample collection method for PCR and by becoming familiar with the methods used. In general, female patients notice genital lesions less often than male patients. A total of nine cases diagnosed during serological latency period had lesions with spontaneous pain. These symptoms brought the patients to the clinic. We conclude that combining PCR with serological tests is useful in diagnosing female primary syphilis and contributes to the prevention of syphilis transmission.