{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,19]],"date-time":"2026-05-19T23:58:39Z","timestamp":1779235119439,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":16,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,29]],"date-time":"2021-01-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1611878400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/journals\/pages\/open_access\/funder_policies\/chorus\/standard_publication_model"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,29]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n               <jats:p>A positive rapid plasma reagin (RPR) result in children under the age of 2 years indicates either passive transplacental transfer of maternal antibodies or active infection with syphilis (possible congenital syphilis). We describe trends in RPR seropositivity in this population using centralized laboratory data. A secondary analysis of laboratory data collected through the National Health Laboratory Service, Corporate Data Warehouse from 2010 to 2019 was conducted. Of the 127 150 children &amp;lt;2\u2009years included in the analysis, 10 969 [8.6%; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 85\u201388]) were RPR seropositive. RPR seropositivity increased from 6.5% to 13.0% between 2010 and 2019. Overall, the annual rate of RPR seropositivity was relatively stable between 2010 and 2018 with a range of 89\u2013127\/100 000 live births, increasing sharply to 165\/100 000 livebirths in 2019. KwaZulu\u2013Natal and North West provinces recorded the largest increases in annual seropositivity rate, while Eastern Cape and Western Cape had the most significant declines. Although this analysis is limited to laboratory results, in the absence of major changes in testing practices, there may be a rise in the burden of antenatal syphilis exposure in utero indicating an increase in maternal syphilis and syphilis transmission in the general population. South Africa needs to intensify Mother-to-Child Transmission of syphilis elimination efforts to reach the WHO target of \u226450 cases per 100 live births by 2030.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/tropej\/fmab017","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,2,26]],"date-time":"2021-02-26T04:13:10Z","timestamp":1614312790000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Trends in RPR Seropositivity among Children Younger than 2 Years in South Africa, 2010\u20132019"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"67","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3228-7096","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rudzani","family":"Mathebula","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Health Systems and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa"},{"name":"South African Field Epidemiology Training Programme (SAFETP), National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lazarus","family":"Kuonza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Health Systems and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa"},{"name":"South African Field Epidemiology Training Programme (SAFETP), National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa"},{"name":"School of Health Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alfred","family":"Musekiwa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Health Systems and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ranmini","family":"Kularatne","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for HIV and STI, National Institute for Communicable Disease, Johannesburg, South Africa"},{"name":"Department of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Adrian","family":"Puren","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for HIV and STI, National Institute for Communicable Disease, Johannesburg, South Africa"},{"name":"Division of Virology, School of Pathology, University of the Witwatersrand Medical School, Johannesburg, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gary","family":"Reubenson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gayle","family":"Sherman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for HIV and STI, National Institute for Communicable Disease, Johannesburg, South Africa"},{"name":"Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tendesayi","family":"Kufa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Health Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa"},{"name":"Centre for HIV and STI, National Institute for Communicable Disease, Johannesburg, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"2021032005334660000_fmab017-B1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e525","DOI":"10.1016\/S2214-109X(16)30135-8","article-title":"Global burden of maternal and congenital syphilis in 2008 and 2012: a health systems modelling study","volume":"4","author":"Wijesooriya","year":"2016","journal-title":"Lancet Global 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The 2015 National Antenatal Sentinel HIV & Syphilis Survey, South Africa, National Department of Health"},{"key":"2021032005334660000_fmab017-B14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e1002473","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pmed.1002473","article-title":"Shortages of benzathine penicillin for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of syphilis: an evaluation from multi-country surveys and stakeholder interviews","volume":"14","author":"Nurse-Findlay","year":"2017","journal-title":"PLoS Med"},{"key":"2021032005334660000_fmab017-B15","author":"World Health Organization (WHO)"},{"key":"2021032005334660000_fmab017-B16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e1002589","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pmed.1002589","article-title":"Estimating retention in HIV care accounting for patient transfers: a national laboratory cohort study in South Africa","volume":"15","author":"Fox","year":"2018","journal-title":"PLoS Med"}],"container-title":["Journal of Tropical Pediatrics"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"http:\/\/academic.oup.com\/tropej\/article-pdf\/67\/1\/fmab017\/36646772\/fmab017.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"http:\/\/academic.oup.com\/tropej\/article-pdf\/67\/1\/fmab017\/36646772\/fmab017.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,20]],"date-time":"2021-03-20T05:34:00Z","timestamp":1616218440000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/tropej\/article\/doi\/10.1093\/tropej\/fmab017\/6178988"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,29]]},"references-count":16,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,29]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/tropej\/fmab017","relation":{},"ISSN":["0142-6338","1465-3664"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0142-6338","type":"print"},{"value":"1465-3664","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published-other":{"date-parts":[[2021,2,1]]},"published":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,29]]},"article-number":"fmab017"}}