PHD THESIS DANISH MEDICAL JOURNAL Syphilis and HIV co-infection Epidemiology, treatment and molecular typing of Treponema pallidum Kirsten Salado-Rasmussen among MSM, MSM represented 78% of the cases in 2003–2004 (12). Also in contrast to earlier, where most syphilis patients re- This review has been accepted as a thesis together with three previously published papers by University of Copenhagen March 22 2015 and defended on April 17 2015. ported being infected in Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia (10), the majority of the patients now report acquiring syphilis in Denmark Tutor(s): Jan Gerstoft, Terese Lea Katzenstein & Jørgen Skov Jensen. (13). In 2010 screening of pregnant women was re-introduced in Official opponents: Gitte Kronborg, Lars Østergaard & David Mabey. Denmark (14) after the screening had been discontinued as a gen- eral screening in 1998 (10). Correspondence: Department of Infectious Diseases, Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen Ø. Denmark Syphilis and HIV co-infection E-mail:
[email protected] Syphilis and HIV are strongly linked with one another. The propor- tion of patients with concurrent HIV at the time of syphilis diagno- sis has been substantial since the reemergence of the disease in Dan Med J 2015;62(12):B5176 Denmark (11;13;15) and peaked in 2008 where 58% of MSM diag- nosed with syphilis had concurrent HIV (16). By contrast, only THE 3 ORIGINAL PAPERS ARE 32% of MSM diagnosed with syphilis in 2013 had concurrent HIV 1. Risk of HIV or second syphilis infection in Danish men – leaving 68% susceptible to infection with HIV (13). In study I of with newly acquired syphilis in the period 2000–2010.