Table 2

Standard clinical investigation and study results for all participants categorised by final clinico-microbiological diagnosis

Final diagnosis	Patient	HIV-1 status	CD4 count	DGM result^*	HSV PCR result^*	Syphilis EIA result at enrolment	RPR result at enrolment	Timing of DNA extraction	WB tpp47 (copies/ml whole blood)	Ulcer tpp47 copy number (copies/strip)
Primary syphilis (n=14)	6	−	–	+	−	+	8	Immediate	0	620
	9	+	390	+		+	16	Immediate	127	2108
	11	+	480	+		+	16	Immediate	0	12 440
	18	+	270	−	−	+	0	Immediate	0	757
	23	−	–	+		+	4	Immediate	0	2742
	24	−	–	+		−	16	Immediate	0	2577
	26	+	920	+		−		Immediate	0	7426
	32	+	720	−		+	4	Immediate	168	14 244
	33	−	–	−	−	+	64	Immediate	0	427
	52	+	320	+		+	2	Later	0	2115
	69	−	–	+	−	+	32	Later	0	251
	89	+	420	+		−		Later	0	1555
	90	−	–	−		+	4	Later	127	1064
	93	−	–	+	−	+	4	Later	0	648

Secondary syphilis (n=19)	3	+	660	Unavailable		+	64	Immediate	0	2
	16	+	240	–	−	+	128	Immediate	886	630
	17	−	–	+	−	+	128	Immediate	1026	422
	22	−	–	+		+	64	Immediate	518	211^†
	27	+	680			+	8	Immediate	632
	29	−	–			+	16	Immediate	58
	34	+	390	Unavailable	−	+	128	Immediate	495	251^†
	45	+	350			+	64	Later	6
	46	+	330			+	16	Later	0
	47	−	–			+	256	Later	0
	49	+	630			+	128	Later	10
	53	+	400			+	64	Later	28
	61	+	470			+	512	Later	91
	63	+	790			+	32	Later	0
	74	+	410			+	128	Later	0
	75	+	470			+	256	Later	0
	77	+	370			+	32	Later	0
	81	+	430			+	128	Later	65
	83	+	420			+	128	Later	0	Unavailable

Other syphilis (latent or symptomatic late) (n=8)	1	−	–			+	0	Immediate	0
	12	+	400			+	1	Immediate	0
	28	+	220			+	256	Immediate	70
	44	−	–			+	16	Later	0
	59	+	610			+	0	Later	0
	67	−	–			+	0	Later	0
	84	+	570			+	0	Later	0
	95	−	–			+	1	Later	0

Asymptomatic contact of syphilis (n=17)	2	−	–			+	1	Immediate	0
	4	−	–			−		Immediate	0
	8	−	–			−		Immediate	0
	15	+	730			−		Immediate	0
	25	−	–			−		Immediate	0
	30	+	320			−		Immediate	0
	38	+	490			+	0	Immediate	0
	51	−	–			−		Later	0
	57	−	–			−		Later	0
	58	+	470			+	0	Later	0
	65	+	490			−		Later	0
	73	−	–			−		Later	0
	76	+	670			+	0	Later	0
	78	+	510			−		Later	0
	88	+	320			+	0	Later	0
	94	+	640			−		Later	0
	99	−	–			−		Later	0

HSV infection (n=19)	10	−	–	−	+	−		Immediate	0	0
	19	−	–	−	+	−		Immediate	0	0
	20	−	–	Unavailable	+	−		Immediate	0	0
	31	−	–	−	+	−		Immediate	0	0
	37	−	–	−	+	−		Immediate	0	0
	39	−	–	−	+	−		Immediate	0	0
	40	−	–	−	+	+	0	Later	0	0
	41	−	–	−	+	−		Later	0	0
	42	+	780	−	−	−		Later	0	0
	43	−	–	−	+	Unavailable		Later	0	0
	55	+	550	−	−	−		Later	0	0
	70	−	–	−	+	−		Later	0	0
	71	+	680	−	+	−		Later	0	0
	72	−	–	−	+	−		Later	0	0
	79	−	–	−	+	−		Later	0	0
	86	−	–	−	+	−		Later	0	0
	91	+	370	Unavailable	+	−		Later	0	Unavailable
	92	−	–	+	+	−		Later	0	0
	98	−	–	+	+	−		Later	0	0

Non-specific genital ulceration (n=19)	5	−	–	−	−	−		Immediate	0	0
	7	+	540	+		+	0	Immediate	0	0
	13	−	–	−	−	−		Immediate	0	0
	14	−	–	−	−	−		Immediate	0	0
	21	−	–	−	−	−		Immediate	0	0
	35	−	–	−	−	−		Immediate	0	0
	48	−	–	−	−	−		Later	0	0
	50	−	–	+	−	+	0	Later	0	0
	54	+	210			−		Later	0
	60	+	750	−	−	−		Later	0	0
	62	+	400	−	−	−		Later	0	46^‡
	64	+	130			+	0	Later	0
	66	+	590	−	−	−		Later	0	0
	68	+	580			−		Later	0
	80	−	–	−	−	−		Later	0	0
	82	+	340	−	−	−		Later	0	0
	85	+	120	−	−	+	1	Later	0	0
	87	+	610	−	−	−		Later	0	0
	97	+	500			−		Later	0

Neurosyphilis (n=3)	36	+	290			+	32	Immediate	0
	56	−	–			+	64	Later	0
	96	+	660			+	8	Later	0

* Test performed only when clinically indicated.
† Muco-cutaneous oral lesion.
‡ Patient with a 1-week history of multiple non-tender genital ulcers thought to be atypical genital herpes and treated with acyclovir. Convalescent syphilis serology and PCR for HSV types 1 and 2 were negative.
DGM, dark ground microscopy; EIA, enzyme immunoassay; HSV, herpes simplex virus; RPR, rapid plasma reagin; WB, whole blood.