Congenital syphilis screening

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Aditya Govindavarjhulla, M.B.B.S. [2] Aravind Kuchkuntla, M.B.B.S [3]

Overview

Routine antenatal screening is recommended for syphilis.

Screening

Effective prevention and detection of congenital syphilis depends on the identification of syphilis in pregnant women and screening is a key component to decrease the incidence of congenital syphilis. The recommendations for screening are as follows:^[1]^[2]

Screening Recommendations

Timing of Screening

Test all pregnant women at the first prenatal visit.

Screening Tests

Nontreponemal tests commonly used for initial screening include:
- Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL)
- Rapid Plasma Reagin (RPR)

If screening tests are positive confirmatory tests should be done

Confirmatory tests include:
- Fluorescent treponemal antibody absorbed (FTA-ABS)
- Treponema pallidum particle agglutination (TPPA)

High Risk Population

Most organizations recommend testing high-risk women again during the third trimester and at delivery.
Groups at increased risk include:
- Uninsured women
- Women living in poverty
- Sex workers
- Illicit drug users
- Those diagnosed with other sexually transmitted diseases (STD)
- Other women living in communities with high syphilis morbidity

References

Template:WikiDoc Sources

↑ https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/RecommendationStatementFinal/syphilis-infection-in-pregnancy-screening Accessed on september 27,2016
↑ http://www.cdc.gov/std/tg2015/references.htm#424 Accessed on September 27, 2016

[syphilis-1] ttps://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/RecommendationStatementFinal/syphilis-infection-in-pregnancy-screening Accessed on september 27,2016

[cdc2015-2] ttp://www.cdc.gov/std/tg2015/references.htm#424 Accessed on September 27, 2016

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