Syphilis is caused by the bacteria Treponema pallidum, a member of the order Spirochaetales, family Spirochaetaceae and genus Treponema. Transmission is primarily person to person via direct contact with infectious lesions or through transplacental spread during pregnancy leading to congenital infection.

The HPSC reported 611 notifications of early infectious syphilis in Ireland in 2020. As asymptomatic infection is common, screening and treatment in at risk groups is important to reduce onward transmission.

Enfer Medical has introduced a number of tests for Syphilis including an antibody and confirmatory test. Enfer Medical is the first medical laboratory in Ireland to introduce a genital ulcer assay, a qualitative in-vitro real-time PCR assay that permits the simultaneous amplification and detection of target nucleic acids of Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and T. Pallidum from genital swabs.