Abstract

ONYANGUNGA, O A; MOODLEY, K  and  MOODLEY, J. Screening for maternal and congenital syphilis with a chemiluminescence immunoassay in a South African private specialist healthcare sector setting. SAJOG [online]. 2022, vol.28, n.2, pp.1-5. ISSN 2305-8862.  http://dx.doi.org/10.7196/sajog.2022.v28i2.2017.

BACKGROUND: Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection that is most frequently found in lower socio-economic groups globally and is associated with significant maternal and fetal complications. In South Africa (SA), the last two to three decades have seen a rise in the number of people in the low and middle economic social groups seeking private specialist healthcare services OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence rates of maternal and congenital syphilis in a private specialist healthcare setting METHODS: The laboratory case records of women who had antenatal maternal syphilis (MS) screening using the automated chemiluminescence immunoassay (Architect Syphilis TP) in a private laboratory facility in Durban were reviewed RESULTS: A total of 9 740 individual maternal serum samples were analysed and 256 were Architect Syphilis TP positive, resulting in a MS prevalence rate of 2.7%. Of the less than three-quarters of exposed neonates tested (71.1%; n=182/256), 38.5% (n=70/182) were Architect syphilis TP positive. Less than a tenth of exposed neonates (2.43%; n=6) had only rapid plasma reagin (RPR) titers test whereas 26.6% (n=68/256) did not have a syphilis screen test. Based on the 182 exposed neonates tested, the congenital syphilis (CS) prevalence from the laboratory records was 7.7%. The highest rate of MS was in the >35 years age group CONCLUSION: The prevalence of MS in the private specialist healthcare sector in SA is relatively high and warrants continued maternal antenatal screening during early pregnancy across all socio-economic groups. The high rate of MS in the age group over 35 years warrants further investigations and explanation

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