Automated Multiplexing Technology Streamlines Syphilis Testing

A syphilis IgG kit simultaneously detects three of the most clinically relevant Treponema pallidum antibodies using recombinant proteins in a multiplex format. The kit can be used as a diagnostic clinical screen for past or present syphilis infection or as a diagnostic confirmatory test.

T. pallidum is the causative agent of syphilis. Mechanisms of T. pallidum pathogenesis are poorly understood. No known virulence factors have been identified, and the outer membrane is mostly lipid with a paucity of proteins. Consequently, current diagnostic tests for syphilis are suboptimal, and no vaccine against T. pallidum is available.

The new test for T. pallidum is performed using the Bioplex 2200 system, a diagnostic platform that employs multiplexing technology to analyze multiple disease markers from a single patient sample. The Bioplex 2200 syphilis IgG kit is a product of Bio-Rad Laboratories (Hercules, CA, USA). The BioPlex 2200 system is a random access multiplex testing system that provides clinical laboratories with the technology to rapidly process or "multiplex” multiple individual tests, which are traditionally processed separately, using a single small volume patient sample.

"The release of the syphilis IgG kit is another example of Bio-Rad's continued commitment to providing valuable tools that enable laboratories to improve testing methods, maximize efficiencies, and lower costs,” said John Goetz, Bio-Rad vice- president and group manager, clinical diagnostics.


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