Detection of Treponema pallidum by immunocytochemistry of cervical smear: A case report

• Published in: Diagnostic cytopathology Vol. 49; no. 12; pp. E443 - E446
• Main Authors: Noguchi, Hiroshi, Tokumitsu, Takako, Kuroki, Eiteru, Minematsu, Eiko, Asada, Yujiro, Kuroda, Sayaka, Ochiai, Shoko, Kikuchi, Masao, Fujimoto, Shouichi, Onishi, Junji, Kawagoe, Yasuyuki, Sameshima, Hiroshi, Katsuragi, Shinji, Sato, Yuichiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.12.2021; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Bacterial infections; Case reports; cervical smear; DNA, Protozoan - genetics; Female; Humans; immunocytology; Immunohistochemistry; Syphilis; Treponema pallidum; Treponema pallidum - isolation & purification; Vaginal Smears; Young Adult; syphilis; Treponema pallidum; cervical smear; immunocytology
• ISSN: 8755-1039; 1097-0339
• DOI: 10.1002/dc.24849

Syphilis is an infectious disease caused by Treponema pallidum (T. pallidum). A cervical smear is useful when screening for sexually transmitted diseases; however, T. pallidum is not detected in the usual Papanicolaou smear. We report the detection of T. pallidum by immunocytological examination of a cervical smear. A 22‐year‐old woman presented with nephrotic syndrome. On admission, we performed screening tests for infections, and her serology was positive for syphilis. A Papanicolaou cervical smear (Thin‐Prep) showed slight nuclear enlargement, nuclear irregularity, and mild hyperchromasia in the superficial cells, but no organism was detected. T. pallidum was detected in the remaining specimen using immunocytochemistry. We also detected the T. pallidum DNA in a cervical biopsy specimen by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Our findings suggest that immunocytological examination and PCR assay examination are useful tests for syphilis diagnosis.