Important note: Information in this article was accurate in June 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
AIDSWEEKLY Plus; Monday, June 8, 2009
Staff Medical Writers
NewsRx -- According to recent research from Plymouth, the United Kingdom, "There has been much debate regarding the optimum treatment for syphilis in HIV-positive patients. There has been a shift in expert opinion in the UK towards using two doses of benzathine penicillin G one week apart regardless of HIV status."
"We report our experience using a 17-day course of daily procaine penicillin plus probenecid in HIV-positive individuals and two doses of benzathine in HIV-negative patients. Of 350 cases of early syphilis, 37% were in HIV-positive individuals. Ninety-eight percent of HIV-positive patients completing the treatment were followed up for at least six months and met the criteria for treatment success. The treatment response was equally good (98%) for HIV-negative patients using these different schedules. It is currently unclear which patients require an extended course of treatment for syphilis," wrote Z. Warwick and colleagues (see also HIV/AIDS Co-Infection).
The researchers concluded: "We have demonstrated that patients adhere well to this regimen, and significantly we have shown comparable treatment success rates in HIV-positive and -negative individuals."
Warwick and colleagues published their study in International Journal of STD & AIDS (Should syphilis be treated differently in HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals? Treatment outcomes at a university hospital, Brighton, UK Int J STD AIDS. 2009 Apr;20(4):229-30.
For additional information, contact Z. Warwick, Plymouth Hospital NHS Trust, Dept. of Genitourinary Medical, Plymouth PL6 8DH, Devon, UK.
Publisher contact information for the International Journal of STD & AIDS is: Royal Society Medicine Press Ltd., 1 Wimpole Street, London W1G 0AE, England.
Keywords: United Kingdom, Plymouth, HIV/AIDS Co-Infection, AIDS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Anesthetic, Antibiotic, Drugs, HIV, Human Immunodeficiency Virus Bacterial Infection, Penicillin G Potassium, Pharmaceuticals, Probenecid, Procaine, Therapy, Treatment, Virology.
This article was prepared by AIDS Weekly editors from staff and other reports.
2009-06-08
AW090606
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