The Brazil DATASUS SINAN registry records 'Syphilis in pregnancy' as a notifiable surveillance entity within its national notification and investigation system, reflecting the public health importance of identifying maternal syphilis infection [4]. As a surveillance concept, it denotes a treponemal infection in a pregnant individual that can result in vertical transmission to the fetus, encompassing all stages of maternal infection caused by Treponema pallidum and tracked to prevent congenital syphilis [1].
Disease overview
BacterialSyphilis in pregnancy
妊娠期梅毒
Evidence-backed informationEN 1/6 applicable sections · ZH 1/6 applicable sectionsUpdated Sep 3, 2026
Syphilis in pregnancy is a treponemal infection caused by Treponema pallidum that can be acquired sexually, hematogenously, or through vertical transmission from mother to infant, and remains an ongoing public health threat with rising prevalence [1]. Rising maternal infection has been accompanied by marked increases in congenital syphilis, which can cause stillbirth, miscarriage, preterm birth, birth defects, and lifelong physical or neurologic sequelae [1][2]. In the United States, congenital syphilis cases rose by 153% from 2013 to 2017 and by 261% from 2013 to 2018, reaching a 30-year high in 2021 [3][1][2]. Between 50% and 80% of pregnant women with syphilis experience an adverse pregnancy outcome, including stillbirth or spontaneous abortion [3].
Read the full clinical and epidemiological profile2
- 1Eppes CS et al. Syphilis in pregnancy: an ongoing public health threat. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2022 Dec. PMID: 35932881. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2022.07.041.PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35932881/
- 2d'Hemecourt K et al. Syphilis in Pregnancy and Congenital Syphilis. R I Med J (2013). 2024 Dec 2. PMID: 39576996.PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39576996/
- 3Tsai S et al. Syphilis in Pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol Surv. 2019 Sep. PMID: 31830301. doi: 10.1097/OGX.0000000000000713.PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31830301/
- 4Brazil Ministry of Health SINAN. SINAN registry entity: Syphilis in pregnancy [Internet]. cited 3 Sept 2026.Available from: https://www.gov.br/saude/pt-br/composicao/svsa/sistemas-de-informacao/sinan
- A50-A53
Research Radar
Recent related research
Management of neonates born to mothers with reactive serologic tests for syphilis
Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases
Literature links are provided for discovery and do not alter or validate the surveillance series above.
Data access
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