Researches On Immunology Of Syphilis

Background and objects:As a sexual transmitted disease,syphilis has been more commonrecently since the prevalence of HIV infection increased. Though penicillin has beenroutinely used,it was still not under control. The symptoms and stage of disease afterinfection depends on the state of human's immune response. While seroresistance was stillnot rare even after standard course of therapy,it could be of great significance forprecaution and prognosis of syphilis to analyze the patients' immune state. As to thediagnosis of syphilis,there has been kind of dilemma to indentify the stage of the diseaseand it's infectivity. whether IgM detection is an effective means could be worth discussing.Method:1.We underwent flow cytometric analysis of peripheral blood lymphocyteimmunophenotypes in 40 persons with untreated syphilis,20 treated persons with negativeRPR results and 20 persons who were proven to be seroresistant, with 18 uninfectedpersons as control.2.We detected IgM in the serum of 46 patients with different stages of syphilis and 7uninfected persons to characterize its distribution in different RPR titres and stages ofsyphilis.Results:1. The percentages of CD8~+T cells were significantly higher and those of NK cells weresignificantly lower in the untreated patients than in uninfected population. The percentagesof CD3~+T cells and CD8~+T cells were significantly higher in treated patients with negativeRPR results than in uninfected population. There was no significant difference betweenseroresistant population and controls. 2. The detectivity of IgM correlated with RPR titres and stages of syphilis. It was inclined to be detected when RPR titres were higher than 1:4 and when it was at the early stage of the disease.Conclusion:1. There was unbalance in human immune response and immune suppression existed. Total enhancement of cell immunity was needed to clear up the treponema pallidum.2. The detection of IgM demonstrated recent infection or reinfection. Infectivity could be convinced when it was detected.