New syphilis assay launched in UK

A new syphilis assay launched in the UK adds to the armoury of healthcare providers to combat rising levels of sexually-transmitted diseases.

The fully-automated ADVIA Centaur Syphilis 1 assay from Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics has CE Mark approval for use on Siemens’ ADVIA Centaur family of immunoassay systems.

This addition to the ADVIA Centaur menu enables hospitals to further consolidate their testing for infectious diseases onto a single platform.

The new assay detects antibodies against Treponema pallidum, the bacterium known to cause syphilis. Because the symptoms of syphilis are rarely distinctive, it often goes undiagnosed until it has caused serious harm such as neurological damage or stillbirth. A specific test can support treatment with antibiotics as well as disease control measures.

A recent overview of 10 studies involving 41,000 women established that screening and treatment of syphilis in pregnant women could reduce the frequency of stillbirths and perinatal deaths due to the disease by half.

The portfolio of automated infectious disease assays available from Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics allows the integration of testing across a range of diseases, saving time for clinicians and patients.

Dave Hickey, CEO of the Chemistry, Immunoassay, Automation and Diagnostics IT Business Unit at Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, said: “Consolidating syphilis testing onto a single system addresses a critical challenge of laboratories today – to improve operational efficiency while delivering fast, accurate results that help guide clinicians in identifying and caring for patients affected by this disease.”