to the editor: The article, “Diagnosis and Management of Syphilis”¹ by Drs. Brown and Frank in the July 15, 2003, issue of American Family Physician is an excellent review. However, the authors should have made it clearer that the treponemal test might serorevert with effective treatment in the first episode of primary syphilis^2,3 and in some patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection.⁴

Given the fact that a nontreponemal test might remain positive for a long time (if not forever),^1,2,5 a printout that shows the patient’s titers at the time the patient was considered cured should be facilitated to avoid unnecessary treatment by another physician.