Secondary syphilis in the modern antisyphilitic era with uncommon and infrequent clinical presentation

Abstract

Secondary syphilis is notorious for its diverse cutaneous manifestations, often mimicking a wide range of dermatoses. While classical papulosquamous lesions are well described, uncommon morphological variants are infrequently reported and frequently misdiagnosed. We report five patients with uncommon morphological presentations of secondary syphilis, including imbricate, corymbose, serpiginous, psoriasiform, nodular, and acneiform variants. Clinical findings were correlated with serology and histopathology. Awareness of atypical morphologies of secondary syphilis is crucial to avoid diagnostic delay and prevent disease transmission.