Rapid Plasma Reagin

Excerpt

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum. There are different stages of syphilis: primary, secondary, and tertiary, which are defined by clinical manifestations of the disease. Those who are infected but are asymptomatic have latent syphilis. Without adequate treatment, neurological and cardiovascular anomalies may develop, and infection in pregnancy can lead to congenital syphilis. Thus, detecting syphilis promptly is crucial in preventing the progression and fatal consequences of the disease. Traditionally, rapid plasma reagin (RPR) and venereal disease research laboratory (VDRL) tests are the non-treponemal serologic tests used to screen for active syphilis infection and monitor response to treatment. Due to their lack of specificity, positive results are confirmed by tests that are treponemal-specific, such as fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA) test, T. pallidum enzyme-immunoassay (TP-EIA) test, T. pallidum particle agglutination (TPPA) test, and the automated chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) test.