This presentation provides an overview of pinta using clinical
subjects, histologic slides, and scenes from locations in Mexico
and the laboratory. Pinta is a chronic disease found in poverty-
stricken areas of the tropics. It is characterized by skin
lesions of various colors ranging from white, coffee, red, blue,
and violet to almost black. These lesions occur only on the
exposed surfaces of the body. Produced experimentally, the
disease appears to go through three stages: 1) the appearance of
a single patch; 2) the spread of lesions to other parts of the
body; and 3) a final stage in which flat spots become wildly
discolored. Male and female clinical subjects of all ages are
presented to illustrate the three stages and to compare and
contrast the lesions with those of leprosy, syphilis, ringworm,
eczema, and psoriasis. Diagnostic tests used to isolate the
Treponema carateum and differentiate it from other spirochetes
are described and demonstrated. The diagnostic uses of the
Wasserman reaction are discussed