This article is available to subscribers. Subscribe now. Already have an account? Sign in

Case Records of the Massachusetts General HospitalFree Preview

Case 39-2005 — A 63-Year-Old Woman with a Positive Serologic Test for Syphilis and Persistent Eosinophilia

List of authors.
  • Edward T. Ryan, M.D.,
  • Donna Felsenstein, M.D.,
  • Suzanne L. Aquino, M.D.,
  • John A. Branda, M.D.,
  • and John G. Morgan, M.B.

A 63-year-old woman from Cameroon was referred to infectious-disease specialists because of a positive serologic test for syphilis and persistent peripheral-blood eosinophilia. In addition, a routine chest radiograph had shown a dilated aorta with calcification. Stool examination disclosed parasitic infections, which were treated, but eosinophilia persisted. A diagnostic test was performed.

Continue reading this article

Select an option below:

Create your account to get 2 free subscriber-only articles each month.

Get Free Access Now Subscribe For Full Access

Already have an account?

Sign In

Print subscriber?

Activate your online access.

Funding and Disclosures

Dr. Ryan reports having received consulting fees from Raytheon Corporation, Acambis, and New England Biolabs-BioHelix, and holding patents in heterologous antigens in live-cell Vibrio cholerae strains, V. cholerae proteins expressed during infection, and the use of the RTX secretion system to achieve heterologous polypeptide secretion by V. cholerae. No other potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Author Affiliations

From the Tropical and Geographic Medicine Center (E.T.R.), the Divisions of Infectious Diseases (D.F.) and Cardiology (J.G.M.), Department of Medicine, and the Departments of Radiology (S.L.A.) and Pathology (J.A.B.), Massachusetts General Hospital; and the Departments of Medicine (E.T.R., D.F., J.G.M.), Radiology (S.L.A.), and Pathology (J.A.B.), Harvard Medical School.

Print Subscriber? Activate your online access.