PCR-detection rates of T. pallidum ssp. pallidum in swab samples from the Czech Republic (2004–2022): Combined RPR, IgM, and PCR tests efficiently detect active syphilis
Syphilis is a multistage sexually transmitted disease caused by Treponema pallidum ssp. pallidum (TPA). This study analyzed clinical samples collected from patients with a diagnosed syphilis infection from 2004–2022, isolated in the Czech Republic. Mucocutaneous swab samples (n = 543) from 543 patie...
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Elsevier
2025-03-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Medical Microbiology |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1438422125000037 |
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| author | Eliška Vrbová Petra Pospíšilová Eliška Dastychová Martina Kojanová Miluše Kreidlová Daniela Vaňousová Filip Rob Přemysl Procházka Alena Krchňáková Vladimír Vašků Radim Strnadel Olga Faustmannová Monika Dvořáková Heroldová Ivana Kuklová Hana Zákoucká David Šmajs |
| author_facet | Eliška Vrbová Petra Pospíšilová Eliška Dastychová Martina Kojanová Miluše Kreidlová Daniela Vaňousová Filip Rob Přemysl Procházka Alena Krchňáková Vladimír Vašků Radim Strnadel Olga Faustmannová Monika Dvořáková Heroldová Ivana Kuklová Hana Zákoucká David Šmajs |
| author_sort | Eliška Vrbová |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Syphilis is a multistage sexually transmitted disease caused by Treponema pallidum ssp. pallidum (TPA). This study analyzed clinical samples collected from patients with a diagnosed syphilis infection from 2004–2022, isolated in the Czech Republic. Mucocutaneous swab samples (n = 543) from 543 patients were analyzed, and from these samples, 80.11 % (n = 435) were PCR positive, and 19.89 % (n = 108) were PCR negative for TPA DNA. Swabs were more often positive when collected from syphilis patients in the primary and secondary stages, compared to the latent or unknown stage. There was no significant difference in PCR positivity between the primary and secondary stages (p = 0.099). In IgM-positive patients, a statistically significant association with PCR-positivity was found in samples from seropositive (p = 0.033) and serodiscrepant (RPR negative) patients (p = 0.0006). When assessing our laboratory-defined cases of syphilis, the RPR, IgM, and PCR tests were similarly effective (within the range of 80.1–86.1 %). However, parallel testing with these methods was even more effective, i.e., RPR + PCR was 96.1 % effective and RPR + IgM + PCR was 97.8 % effective. A combination of RPR + PCR, or a combination of all three tests (RPR, IgM, and PCR) can therefore be used to reliably detect active syphilis cases, including reinfections. Our findings show that the reverse algorithm for detecting syphilis could be substantially improved by adding IgM and PCR testing. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ce6c7ab9a3c84bdfb478737ca33c3979 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1438-4221 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | International Journal of Medical Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj-art-ce6c7ab9a3c84bdfb478737ca33c39792025-02-09T04:59:49ZengElsevierInternational Journal of Medical Microbiology1438-42212025-03-01318151647PCR-detection rates of T. pallidum ssp. pallidum in swab samples from the Czech Republic (2004–2022): Combined RPR, IgM, and PCR tests efficiently detect active syphilisEliška Vrbová0Petra Pospíšilová1Eliška Dastychová2Martina Kojanová3Miluše Kreidlová4Daniela Vaňousová5Filip Rob6Přemysl Procházka7Alena Krchňáková8Vladimír Vašků9Radim Strnadel10Olga Faustmannová11Monika Dvořáková Heroldová12Ivana Kuklová13Hana Zákoucká14David Šmajs15Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech RepublicDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech RepublicDepartment of Dermatovenerology, St. Anne´s Hospital and Masaryk University, Brno, Czech RepublicDepartment of Dermatology and Venereology, First Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital, Charles University, Prague, Czech RepublicInstitute of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Diagnostics, First Faculty of Medicine of Charles University and General University Hospital, Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Dermatovenerology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Bulovka University Hospital, Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Dermatovenerology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Bulovka University Hospital, Prague, Czech RepublicOutpatient STI Clinic Medicentrum, Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Dermatovenerology, St. Anne´s Hospital and Masaryk University, Brno, Czech RepublicDepartment of Dermatovenerology, St. Anne´s Hospital and Masaryk University, Brno, Czech RepublicDepartment of Dermatovenerology, Faculty Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech RepublicDepartment of Dermatovenerology, Faculty Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech RepublicDepartment of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, St. Anne's Faculty Hospital and Masaryk University, Brno, Czech RepublicDepartment of Dermatology and Venereology, First Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital, Charles University, Prague, Czech RepublicNational Reference Laboratory for Diagnostics of Syphilis, National Institute for Public Health, Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic; Corresponding author.Syphilis is a multistage sexually transmitted disease caused by Treponema pallidum ssp. pallidum (TPA). This study analyzed clinical samples collected from patients with a diagnosed syphilis infection from 2004–2022, isolated in the Czech Republic. Mucocutaneous swab samples (n = 543) from 543 patients were analyzed, and from these samples, 80.11 % (n = 435) were PCR positive, and 19.89 % (n = 108) were PCR negative for TPA DNA. Swabs were more often positive when collected from syphilis patients in the primary and secondary stages, compared to the latent or unknown stage. There was no significant difference in PCR positivity between the primary and secondary stages (p = 0.099). In IgM-positive patients, a statistically significant association with PCR-positivity was found in samples from seropositive (p = 0.033) and serodiscrepant (RPR negative) patients (p = 0.0006). When assessing our laboratory-defined cases of syphilis, the RPR, IgM, and PCR tests were similarly effective (within the range of 80.1–86.1 %). However, parallel testing with these methods was even more effective, i.e., RPR + PCR was 96.1 % effective and RPR + IgM + PCR was 97.8 % effective. A combination of RPR + PCR, or a combination of all three tests (RPR, IgM, and PCR) can therefore be used to reliably detect active syphilis cases, including reinfections. Our findings show that the reverse algorithm for detecting syphilis could be substantially improved by adding IgM and PCR testing.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1438422125000037SyphilisSyphilis diagnosticsPCR syphilis detectionRPRSyphilis serologyNontreponemal tests |
| spellingShingle | Eliška Vrbová Petra Pospíšilová Eliška Dastychová Martina Kojanová Miluše Kreidlová Daniela Vaňousová Filip Rob Přemysl Procházka Alena Krchňáková Vladimír Vašků Radim Strnadel Olga Faustmannová Monika Dvořáková Heroldová Ivana Kuklová Hana Zákoucká David Šmajs PCR-detection rates of T. pallidum ssp. pallidum in swab samples from the Czech Republic (2004–2022): Combined RPR, IgM, and PCR tests efficiently detect active syphilis International Journal of Medical Microbiology Syphilis Syphilis diagnostics PCR syphilis detection RPR Syphilis serology Nontreponemal tests |
| title | PCR-detection rates of T. pallidum ssp. pallidum in swab samples from the Czech Republic (2004–2022): Combined RPR, IgM, and PCR tests efficiently detect active syphilis |
| title_full | PCR-detection rates of T. pallidum ssp. pallidum in swab samples from the Czech Republic (2004–2022): Combined RPR, IgM, and PCR tests efficiently detect active syphilis |
| title_fullStr | PCR-detection rates of T. pallidum ssp. pallidum in swab samples from the Czech Republic (2004–2022): Combined RPR, IgM, and PCR tests efficiently detect active syphilis |
| title_full_unstemmed | PCR-detection rates of T. pallidum ssp. pallidum in swab samples from the Czech Republic (2004–2022): Combined RPR, IgM, and PCR tests efficiently detect active syphilis |
| title_short | PCR-detection rates of T. pallidum ssp. pallidum in swab samples from the Czech Republic (2004–2022): Combined RPR, IgM, and PCR tests efficiently detect active syphilis |
| title_sort | pcr detection rates of t pallidum ssp pallidum in swab samples from the czech republic 2004 2022 combined rpr igm and pcr tests efficiently detect active syphilis |
| topic | Syphilis Syphilis diagnostics PCR syphilis detection RPR Syphilis serology Nontreponemal tests |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1438422125000037 |
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