Is Unresolved Inflammatory Angiogenesis a Mechanism for the Delayed Development of Skeletal Lesions in Syphilis

Possible Unresolved Inflammatory Angiogenesis in Tertiary Syphilis

Datos Bibliográficos

ID12371639
AutoresG Cole (0000-0001-5062-4055, Institute of Archaeology; University College London; London WC1H 0PY UK, autor de correspondencia), Tony Waldron (0000-0002-5245-8799, University College London)
Año2012
Volumen24
Número1
Páginas90-99
Fecha de publicación2012-02-06
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaInternational Journal of Osteoarchaeology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1047-482X • E-ISSN: 1099-1212
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/oa.2230
OpenAlexW1934418147
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas27

A recently described case of putative early tertiary syphilis in a young adult male from 6th century Anglo-Saxon England exhibits a distinctive endocranial pathology. A case–control study using both clinical and archaeological materials was performed to investigate a possible association of the pathology with syphilis. Scanning electron microscopy and microcomputed tomography were used to image the syphilitic case and normal cranial material. Although the pathology does seem to have an association with syphilis (OR = 13.14), the sample size is small, and the authors caution against overinterpretation of the results. The study confirms observations by other authors suggesting the lesion has some association with a range of pathological conditions. Any association with syphilis seems to be restricted to the early tertiary stages and is possibly absent in the later stages of the disease. The morphological differences present in the samples observed by scanning electron microscopy and microcomputed tomography illustrate the abnormal nature of the vascularity within the syphilitic cranium. The widespread presence of similar lesions within other tubular bones leads the authors to propose hypothesis that unresolved angiogenesis is the underlying mechanism behind the skeletal changes in tertiary syphilis. This angiogenic model accounts for several diverse characteristics in the progression of skeletal disease resulting from infection by spirochetes of the Treponema pallidum family. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Angiogenesis · Lesion · Pathological · Pathology · Syphilis · Treponema · Vascularity · Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Issues · Genital Health and Disease · Medicine · Syphilis Diagnosis and Treatment · Immunology · Internal Medicine