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Syphilis RPR

The incidence of syphilis in the European Union increased since 2000 with the most significant increase among men who have sex with men (MSM).

This also increases the reservoir of undiagnosed infection and emphasises the importance screening high risk populations.

Clinical Details

Syphilis is a complex, multistage disease caused by Treponema pallidum. When left untreated, syphilis can result in severe cardiovascular, ocular and neurological complications. Infectious syphilis is also associated with an increased risk of HIV transmission.

Serologic testing to diagnose syphilis includes the use of both nontreponemal and treponemal tests. Initial screening is usually carried out using a treponemal test with confirmation using a non-treponemal option such as the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test. RPR usually become positive approximately 10-15 days after the appearance of the primary chancre (i.e. around 6 weeks after infection). RPR titres correlate grossly with disease activity and are used to monitor both disease activity and efficacy of treatment.

Case Study
At Enfer Medical, we have integrated a cutting-edge and fully automated WASPLab® (Walk Away Specimen Processor) that has significantly enhanced our testing capabilities to ensure the highest of quality when processing patient samples.
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WASPLab® at Enfer Medical
Our entire microbiology workflow has been optimized using automation and highly sophisticated robots to ensure uninterrupted incubation for rapid bacterial growth and improved turnaround times for patients.
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Our Services

Service
Health & Wellness
General health and wellness testing can include a variety of tests, depending on the needs of the individual or recommendations of
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Service
Sexual Health
Regular STI screening facilitates early treatment and reduces the long-term consequences of infection.
Find Out More
Service
Respiratory Health
Rapid early pathogen identification has important treatment and infection control implications. See our range of tests here.
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Service
Reproductive & Female Health
Hormonal analysis is hugely beneficial to identifying problems that can arise during the reproductive years.
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Service
All Services
View the full suite of services at Enfer Medical here.......
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Sample Type &
Volume Required

5mL venous serum or plasma OR 0.8mL capillary serum.

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Transporting
Samples

In addition to the packaging of samples, the transport/delivery of clinical samples to the laboratory is required to be in adherence to all national regulations for the safe transport of biological materials. Enfer Medical provides a fully compliant logistics service, aligned with clients’ testing requirements.

Prompt transport of specimens:
To ensure prompt testing of samples and release of results within the published test turnaround times, samples should arrive to the laboratory by 18:00. Test turnaround time is measured from receipt of the sample at the laboratory until the time the authorised results are reported to users.

Acceptance/Rejection
of Samples

In rare cases specimens may not be suitable for testing on arrival to the laboratory. In that case the sample will be rejected at the receipt stage and the service user will be notified immediately and an explanation as to why the sample could not be processed will be provided. Reasons why samples cannot be processed include but are not limited to:

  • Samples received beyond the stability limits and/or not at the correct temperature indicated for each test.
  • Incorrect sample type received.
  • Leaking samples, sample not received or sample insufficient for analysis as stated below within sample requirements.
  • Non-compliant samples or request forms i.e. those missing sample date information, missing sample test request and/or missing sample site/type information.
  • Samples received without the necessary patient identifiers.
Clients will be provided with guidance on Sample Receipt Anomalies.

Our Services

Service
Health & Wellness
General health and wellness testing can include a variety of tests, depending on the needs of the individual or recommendations of
Find Out More
Service
Sexual Health
Regular STI screening facilitates early treatment and reduces the long-term consequences of infection.
Find Out More
Service
Respiratory Health
Rapid early pathogen identification has important treatment and infection control implications. See our range of tests here.
Find Out More
Service
Reproductive & Female Health
Hormonal analysis is hugely beneficial to identifying problems that can arise during the reproductive years.
Find Out More
Service
All Services
View the full suite of services at Enfer Medical here.......
Find Out More
Result Values:
Qualitative and semi-quantitative results will be reported for non-treponemal antibodies using Rapid Plasma Reagin (RPR).
Semi-quantitative results:
  • DETECTED (TITRE e.g. 1:16)
  • NOT DETECTED
  • EQUIVOCAL
A positive result by RPR requires confirmation by a treponemal-specific test, such as a microhemagglutination assay (TPHA). If the RPR screen is reactive, then the RPR titer will be performed at an additional charge.

Please note that Syphilis is a notifiable disease under the Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (S.I. No. 53 of 2020) February 2020. Please refer to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre for the Case Definitions for Notifiable Diseases:

HPSC Link
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Our Services

Service
Health & Wellness
General health and wellness testing can include a variety of tests, depending on the needs of the individual or recommendations of
Find Out More
Service
Sexual Health
Regular STI screening facilitates early treatment and reduces the long-term consequences of infection.
Find Out More
Service
Respiratory Health
Rapid early pathogen identification has important treatment and infection control implications. See our range of tests here.
Find Out More
Service
Reproductive & Female Health
Hormonal analysis is hugely beneficial to identifying problems that can arise during the reproductive years.
Find Out More
Service
All Services
View the full suite of services at Enfer Medical here.......
Find Out More