Developments in therapy and diagnosis of yaws and future prospects.

Abstract

Yaws, a chronic and debilitating infectious disease caused by Treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue, and closely related to syphilis, although transmitted by skin-to-skin contact, remains an important public health challenge, causing a significant burden of morbidity in children in certain areas of the Pacific and Africa. Recent advances in its diagnosis and treatment have led to an enthusiastic upsurge of activities related to its control, and exciting perspectives of global eradication. Although possibly considered among the most neglected of all neglected diseases during decades, there seems to be now agreement that massive drug administration of the antibiotic azithromycin, coupled with adequate surveillance of foci of transmission could result in its eradication. In this review, we summarize current knowledge regarding the therapeutics of yaws and its diagnosis.

• Authors: Oriol Mitjà, Quique Bassat
• Journal: Expert review of anti-infective therapy (Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther) Vol. 11 Issue 10 Pg. 1115-21 (Oct 2013) ISSN: 1744-8336 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 24073783 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)

Chemical References

• Anti-Bacterial Agents
• Azithromycin

Topics

• Africa
• Anti-Bacterial Agents (therapeutic use)
• Azithromycin (therapeutic use)
• Child
• Disease Eradication
• Drug Administration Schedule
• Forecasting
• Humans
• Neglected Diseases
• Papua New Guinea
• Treatment Outcome
• Treponema pallidum (drug effects, pathogenicity, physiology)
• Yaws (diagnosis, drug therapy, microbiology, prevention & control)