Virginia Research Day 2025

Medical Student Research Public Health

08 Assessing Rising Congenital Syphilis Cases in Virginia

Patrick Hurd, Class of 2027; Madi Bautista, MPH, Class of 2027; Theresa J. McCann, PhD, MPH; Teresa R. Johnson, PhD Corresponding author: phurd@vcom.edu

University of Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine - Virginia Campus

Congenital syphilis, in which a mother with syphilis passes the infection to a developing fetus, occurs through crossing the placenta during pregnancy or exposure to infectious lesions during delivery. While congenital syphilis is a largely preventable illness, the incidence has been steadily increasing for over 10 years. In the last several years we have seen a dramatic rise in cases, nearly doubling each year since 2019. As congenital syphilis increases the risk of neonatal mortality and puts affected infants at risk for numerous long-term sequelae, this project aims to investigate the factors that may impact individuals and communities that are associated with the observed higher incidence of congenital syphilis in Virginia. Treponema pallidum , the etiological agent of syphilis infection, is most commonly a sexually transmitted infection. There are three stages of active disease,

which range in sequential presentation, over many years. Many cases will be asymptomatic. There is also the possibility of latent syphilis, which can go undetected for years before the reappearance of symptoms. Traditional testing involves detection of nontreponemal antibodies followed by testing of positive samples for the presence of treponema specific antibodies. Serological testing is usually a component of prenatal care and health practitioners generally agree that all pregnant women should be tested for syphilis. Data from the Virginia Department of Health will be reviewed for cases diagnosed during years 2014 to 2024 by health region. In this descriptive, cross sectional study using previously collected data, these data will then be compared to patterns of adult syphilis in Virginia, and patterns of congenital syphilis

across the U.S. using data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Summary statistics will be presented as tables and charts. The factors most likely to impact neonates, mothers, and the wider community that are associated with the observed increase in incidence of congenital syphilis in Virginia will be identified and discussed. The VCOM VA IRB has reviewed this project and determined that it does not qualify as Human Subjects Research

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