A novel diagnostic test for syphilis

The most widely used diagnostic tests for syphilis can’t differentiate between an active infection and a past one. They’re not good at identifying early and late disease and can’t diagnose congenital syphilis. UVic’s Caroline Cameron and research partners in the US and Spain are working to change that.

New funding of US$352,124 from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will help Cameron’s lab and the partner institutions to develop their promising syphilis diagnostic platform. The goal of their research is to develop a point-of-care syphilis diagnostic test that can be used with easily collected samples, such as urine. An optimal test will be highly specific for detection of infectious and congenital syphilis and can be used anywhere, including resource-limited settings around the globe.

Syphilis, which is caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum, affects millions of people worldwide, and global rates are on the rise. It’s a major public health concern, with the World Health Organization reporting eight million new infections in 2022. Left untreated, syphilis can damage the heart, brain, eyes, blood vessels and bones, and can eventually lead to death. Congenital syphilis—in which the infection is passed to the fetus during pregnancy—is a severe, disabling and often life-threatening infection. Up to half of all infants with congenital syphilis die shortly before or after birth.

The goal for the new direct syphilis diagnostic test being developed by the Cameron lab and collaborators is to achieve high sensitivity for all disease stages and distinguish active versus past infections. The concept for the new diagnostic platform, and what sets it apart from other tests being used, is that it detects peptides, or small portions of proteins, that are found only in the bacterium that causes syphilis. If successful, this new platform will allow syphilis to be accurately and easily diagnosed, and will help in the fight against this devastating disease.

Cameron recently received other NIH funding to develop a vaccine against syphilis and is co-leading a UVic Aspiration 2030 Research Cluster on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.

Her research addresses the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3, good health and well-being.

Read the NIH news release.