Point-of-Care Diagnosis of Active Syphilis for the Elimination of Congenital Syphilis

We propose to optimize and pilot-test a finger-stick based rapid syphilis point-of-care test, featuring a novel IgM antibody test (developed by Burnet Institute) that offers specificity for active infection, in combination with a total antibody test (developed by Omega Diagnostics) that offers optimal sensitivity, in one single test-strip. This test will be optimized against "gold standard" reference tests, using approximately 60 plasma samples representing active syphilis, past syphilis and healthy controls.