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New rapid syphilis test comparable to non-treponemal test
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A new rapid treponemal test for syphilis had high sensitivity and specificity that were comparable to those of traditional non-treponemal tests, according to a review of literature.
More than 22,000 whole blood, plasma and finger-stick immunochromatographic syphilis tests performed in STD clinics and antenatal clinics were reviewed. Results showed that the rapid test was highly sensitive (median 0.86, interquartile range 0.75-0.94) and highly specific (0.99, 0.98-0.99).
The rapid test could aid syphilis screening efforts in low-income countries, where 90% of syphilis infections occur and traditional testing is typically unavailable or unreliable. The current study is the first systematic analysis of treponemal rapid tests in a clinical setting, according to the researchers.
Results suggested that persistent positive results due to prior syphilis treatment introduced the risk of unnecessary treatment, but low-income cohorts were unlikely to have had prior treatment. The researchers said persistent positives may become an important issue when immunochromatographic testing expands to areas with greater syphilis treatment experience.
“Although immunochromatographic syphilis testing is not a panacea for inadequate syphilis screening in many low-income countries, these new tests have the potential to widen the breadth and depth of screening efforts,” the researchers wrote.
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