Sweet Syndrome and Secondary Syphilis in a Person with Acute Necrotizing Tonsillitis

Syphilis has received its classical designation as one of "the great imitators," reflecting a wide variety of symptoms and presentations, which can cause difficulties in diagnosis. Here we report an unusual case of secondary syphilis in a person with acute necrotizing tonsillitis and Sweet...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Joseph Mishal (Author), Igor Viner (Author), Alexandro Livoff (Author), Shlomo Maayan (Author), Eli Magen (Author)
Format: Book
Published: Karger Publishers, 2021-04-01T00:00:00Z.
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Summary:Syphilis has received its classical designation as one of "the great imitators," reflecting a wide variety of symptoms and presentations, which can cause difficulties in diagnosis. Here we report an unusual case of secondary syphilis in a person with acute necrotizing tonsillitis and Sweet syndrome. A 33-year-old female presented with fever, bilateral cervical lymphadenopathy, tonsillar enlargements with ulcerated pus-filled lesions on the right tonsil, and multiple pseudovesicular, mammillated, edematous plaques on her neck, face, and extremities. Syphilis serology was positive and a skin biopsy demonstrated a neutrophil-rich dermatitis characteristic of Sweet syndrome. The association of Treponema pallidum infection with Sweet syndrome may be a coincidence; nevertheless, our case serves as a reminder that secondary syphilis should remain in the differential diagnosis of the acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis.
Item Description:1662-6567
10.1159/000509374