Using a dual antibody point-of-care test with visual and digital reads to diagnose syphilis among people living with HIV in Botswana.
Maan, Irfaan;
Lawrence, David S;
Tlhako, Nametso;
Ramontshonyana, Kehumile;
Mussa, Aamirah;
Wynn, Adriane;
Marks, Michael;
Ramogola-Masire, Doreen;
Morroni, Chelsea;
(2021)
Using a dual antibody point-of-care test with visual and digital reads to diagnose syphilis among people living with HIV in Botswana.
International Journal of STD & AIDS, 32 (5).
pp. 453-461.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0956462420975639
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Syphilis data from low- and middle-income countries are lacking due to limited testing. Point-of-care tests (POCTs) have been promoted to expand testing but previously only included treponemal tests, which cannot distinguish active from past infection. We aimed to assess the feasibility of using a combined treponemal and non-treponemal POCT in HIV clinic patients in Gaborone, Botswana, and estimate syphilis prevalence in our clinic sample using this approach. We recruited 390 non-pregnant patients. Participants underwent a combined treponemal and non-treponemal POCT (Dual Path Platform (DPP®) Syphilis Screen and Confirm Assay (Chembio Diagnostic Systems)) on finger-prick blood sample and a questionnaire. Median age 45 years, 30% men, median CD4 count 565 cells/μL, and 91% had an HIV viral load <400 copies/mL. Five participants had active syphilis (1.3%, 95% CI 0.5-3.0%) and 64 had previous syphilis (16.4%, 95% CI 13.0-20.4%) using the DPP POCT. There was a reasonable level of agreement between digital and visual reading of the POCT (kappa statistic of 0.81); however, visual reading missed three active infections (60%). The level of active syphilis was similar to local antenatal data. The DPP POCT led to five participants with active syphilis being diagnosed and starting same-day treatment. The digital reader should be used.