Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2017 Jan;16(1):37-44.
doi: 10.1080/14760584.2016.1203262. Epub 2016 Jul 18.

Vaccine development for syphilis

Karen V Lithgow  1 , Caroline E Cameron  1
Affiliations
Review

Vaccine development for syphilis

Karen V Lithgow et al. Expert Rev Vaccines. 2017 Jan.

Abstract

Syphilis, caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum, continues to be a globally prevalent disease despite remaining susceptible to penicillin treatment. Syphilis vaccine development is a viable preventative approach that will serve to complement public health-oriented syphilis prevention, screening and treatment initiatives to deliver a two-pronged approach to stemming disease spread worldwide. Areas covered: This article provides an overview of the need for development of a syphilis vaccine, summarizes significant information that has been garnered from prior syphilis vaccine studies, discusses the critical aspects of infection that would have to be targeted by a syphilis vaccine, and presents the current understanding within the field of the correlates of protection needed to be achieved through vaccination. Expert commentary: Syphilis vaccine development should be considered a priority by industry, regulatory and funding agencies, and should be appropriately promoted and supported.

Keywords: HIV co-infection; Syphilis; cellular immunity; congenital syphilis; cross-protection; humoral immunity; men who have sex with men; vaccine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interest: The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

References

    1. Newman L, Rowley J, Vander Hoorn S, et al. Global estimates of the prevalence and incidence of four curable sexually transmitted infections in 2012 based on systematic review and global reporting. PLoS ONE. 2015;10(12):e0143304. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hook EW, Peeling RW. Syphilis control-a continuing challenge. N Engl J Med. 2004;351(2):122–124. - PubMed
    1. Herbert LJ, Middleton SI. An estimate of syphilis incidence in Eastern Europe. J Glob Health. 2012;2(1):010402. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Savage EJ, Hughes G, Ison C. Syphilis and gonorrhoea in men who have sex with men: a European overview. Euro Surveill. 2008;14(47):19417. - PubMed
    1. Savage EJ, Marsh K, Duffell S, et al. Rapid increase in gonorrhoea and syphilis diagnoses in England in 2011. Euro Surveill. 2012;17(29):20224. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

LinkOut - more resources