Need help Please

[june872]

Dr,

I was in a very abusive relation 3 yrs ago, ex -BF very promiscuous, I developed sympts few wks - 2mons after exposure, all of them few days apart. I felt sand in my mouth x 1 day, chills, neck nodes and few days later had non itchy, red , flat rash on face, back, and trunk. I tested for hiv multiple times. I tested RPR at 6 mos, 2 yrs, 21/2 yrs. was negative, I moved on with my life.  I have  9 month old, was tested hiv and rpr in pregnancy negative, that would be 21/2 yrs from exposure. iam pegnant again, I read abt negative rpr in latent syphilis. past 2 wks I have been feeling tingling sensation in my upper back on right side. I had hiv, rpr again, negative, I requested my doctor to order FTA- ABS that came weakly reactive this time. I am already 18 wks into my pregnancy. my current partner got tested for all std prior starting relationship.


1) Why was my RPR at 6mon, 2 yrs, 21/2 yrs negative - Prozone  effect and was I in latent syphilis?

2) My child is healthy, if he had got syphilis from me if he gets benzathine PCN now  will this stop progression of this disease in him? what are the chances?

3) Shall I go ahead with PCN for myself?

4)  RPR nega, FTA- ABS weak  positive means am I infectious to my unborn child? or others?

5) DUe to tingling sensation do you think I am in early stages of neurosyphilis . I am close to 3/12 - 4 yrs from my exposure.

[june872]

I thank you for taking time to replying messages. Pls do not discard or suggest mental help. I hear people test positive after 8-10 yrs after hiv exposure. My exposure ws 4 yrsa go  single person, unprotected, multiple times. I tested with hiv EIA, HIV ICMA, HIV rna pcr , hiv western blot, hiv 2 immunoblot, hiv 4 th gen test. all negative 21/2 yrsa fter exposure. I have my sympts in previous posts.My recent testsa re hiv ICMA from labcorp negative.  MY TESTS WERE FROM ONLINE TESTING SITES. due to personal reasons I could not see a doctor.

After seroconversion is it possible antibodies are destroyed after their half life and new antibodies fail to identify the virus or virus goes into hiding places.

What can be done to be 100% sure I have no virus or infectious agent in my body. Is it possible virus hiding in organs from immune system. Is there a possibility bone marrow or lymph node bx will help. If not HIV  how can this new virus if I have can be discovered.
Are you aware of research centres here that can take me for research studies. I am living in hell for past 4 yrs, its hard for me to live like this for another 8-10 yrs.
Doctor,  Assume I am your patient sitting in front of you what do you recommend.

Thank you once again

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Your results are most consistent with a false positive test for syphilis.  My advice is to not worry futher.  My sense is that your are worrying pointlessly.  EWH

[june872]

Dr.

TPPA was negative  31/2 yrs after exposure, is there a possibility TPPA is false negative?
when do we see false negative TPPA?
What other  std's can I exclude?  I tested for chlamydia, gon, hiv.
I am concerned because I felt sand in my mouth, neck nodes, flat red, non itchy rash on face, back and trunk  and that exactly I came across a person's seroconversion symptom for HIV. I tested for hiv 31/2 yrs from last exposure.
Can it be yaws, Pinta, prion diseases. I feel I have a rare infectious agent in my body.
It is really scary that rpr might be negative in latent syphilis and doctors use rpr as initial screening and it is dangerous so many infectious get missed.

I read some comments in thebody.com where people are seroconverting after many years. I had antibody, pcr tests done 2 years after exposure.

Thank you

[Edward W Hook, MD]

I was replying when you posted your follow-up.  We do not man this site 24/7.  The Medhelp standard is to answer all questions within 24 hours of posting.  We do far better than that.  I will not return to the site now for several hours.  EWH

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome back to the Forum. I'll try to help but without seeing your precise test results I can only go so far.  My guess is that your test is actually negative.  The FTA test is a test in which specimens are looked at under the microscope see if a person has antibodies to the syphilis bacterial based on whether special reagents make the test glow or not (it is complicated). Normal people without syphilis often have small amounts of non-syphilis antibodies that lead to small amounts of glowing (the test is scored from 1+ to 4+, 1+ glowing is negative).  My suspicion is that your specimen causes a 1+ reaction and is negative.  The subjective nature of the FTA test (i.e. how much glow is present), is part of the reason it is not typically used for syphilis testing.

1) Why was my RPR at 6mon, 2 yrs, 21/2 yrs negative - Prozone  effect and was I in latent syphilis?
Neither. See above. I suspect you do not have syphilis at all.  I would suggest you have another test called a TPPA to find out.  If it is negative, then you do not have syphilis.  If it is positive then you should consider treatment options.

2) My child is healthy, if he had got syphilis from me if he gets benzathine PCN now  will this stop progression of this disease in him? what are the chances?
I doubt that your child has syphilis either.  You can easily find out if you test him for syphilis.  

3) Shall I go ahead with PCN for myself?
See above.  Find out what is going on.  Discuss it with an expert.

4)  RPR nega, FTA- ABS weak  positive means am I infectious to my unborn child? or others?
Same answers as above.

5) DUe to tingling sensation do you think I am in early stages of neurosyphilis . I am close to 3/12 - 4 yrs from my exposure.
no.

I understand that when one is pregnant you want to do everything possible for your unborn child. My guess however is that you do not have syphilis and that your FTA test is not truely positive.  Please discuss this with your doctor and, if he or she is not familiar with syphilis testing, have them discuss the situation with an expert.  EWH

[june872]

Please help