Malignant syphilis: ostraceous, ulceronecrotic lesions in a patient with human immunodeficiency virus.
We present a 36-year-old HIV-positive man with a sixweek history of spreading, ulcerative, and necroticcutaneous lesions. Laboratory and histopathologicexamination revealed syphilis. This case of malignantsyphilis, also known as lues maligna, is an uncommonvariant of this sexually transmitted infection. This casehighlights the importance of including malignantsyphilis in the differential diagnosis of patientspresenting with a disseminated ulcerative andnecrotic rash, especially in individuals with HIV.
Department of Pathology, University of Florida, UF Health Jacksonville.
Girish C
GC
Mohan
Robert A
RA
Ali
Carmen L
CL
Isache
Rohit K
RK
Sharma
Charles
C
Perniciaro
D000328:Adult; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009336:Necrosis; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology*; D012883:Skin Ulcer / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D013591:Syphilis, Cutaneous / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology