{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,18]],"date-time":"2026-07-18T21:03:02Z","timestamp":1784408582784,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":14,"publisher":"American Society for Microbiology","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2018,5,1]],"date-time":"2018-05-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1525132800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/non-commercial-tdm-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.asm.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["J Clin Microbiol"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2018,5]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title><jats:p>There has been a resurgence of syphilis diagnoses in Australia. We investigated whether our<jats:named-content content-type=\"genus-species\">Treponema pallidum<\/jats:named-content>PCR test provides any additional diagnostic information over syphilis serology (chemiluminescence immunoassay [CMIA],<jats:named-content content-type=\"genus-species\">Treponema pallidum<\/jats:named-content>particle agglutination [TPPA] assay, and the rapid plasma reagin [RPR] flocculation test). A retrospective audit of all<jats:named-content content-type=\"genus-species\">T. pallidum<\/jats:named-content>PCR requests that came through our laboratory from January 2010 to June 2017 was conducted; data collected included age, gender, site of swab, and results from<jats:named-content content-type=\"genus-species\">T. pallidum<\/jats:named-content>PCR, syphilis serology, and herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) and HSV-2 PCRs. A total of 441<jats:named-content content-type=\"genus-species\">T. pallidum<\/jats:named-content>PCR tests were performed; on average, 3<jats:named-content content-type=\"genus-species\">T. pallidum<\/jats:named-content>PCRs per month were requested in 2011, and this rate increased to 17.2 requests per month in 2017. A total of 323 patients had both<jats:named-content content-type=\"genus-species\">T. pallidum<\/jats:named-content>PCR and syphilis serology performed, with 67% of swabs taken from the genitals.<jats:named-content content-type=\"genus-species\">T. pallidum<\/jats:named-content>PCR gave positive results for 61\/323 (19%) patients; of these 61 patients, 59 (97%) also had positive syphilis serology results (<jats:named-content content-type=\"genus-species\">T. pallidum<\/jats:named-content>PCR sensitivity, 68%; specificity, 99%; positive predictive value, 97%; negative predictive value, 89%). Syphilis serology was positive for 91\/323 patients (28%); of these 91 patients, 61 (66%) were also<jats:named-content content-type=\"genus-species\">T. pallidum<\/jats:named-content>PCR positive (syphilis serology sensitivity, 97%; specificity, 88%; positive predictive value, 60%; negative predictive value, 99%). The Cohen's kappa value was 0.74, indicating substantial agreement between the two tests. Our results show that most patients with positive<jats:named-content content-type=\"genus-species\">T. pallidum<\/jats:named-content>PCR results also had positive syphilis serology. Therefore,<jats:named-content content-type=\"genus-species\">T. pallidum<\/jats:named-content>PCR adds little clinical value over serology for the diagnosis of syphilis in certain clinical settings.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1128\/jcm.01782-17","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2018,2,14]],"date-time":"2018-02-14T12:33:32Z","timestamp":1518611612000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1128\/asmj-crossmark-policy-page","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":18,"title":["Retrospective Review of Treponema pallidum PCR and Serology Results: Are Both Tests Necessary?"],"prefix":"10.1128","volume":"56","author":[{"given":"Anna","family":"Brischetto","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Pathology Queensland, Townsville, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ian","family":"Gassiep","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Pathology Queensland, Townsville, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"David","family":"Whiley","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Pathology Queensland, Brisbane, Australia"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Robert","family":"Norton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Pathology Queensland, Townsville, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"235","reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_1_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/CMR.19.1.29-49.2006"},{"key":"e_1_3_1_3_2","volume-title":"Annual surveillance report 2016","author":"The Kirby Institute","year":"2016","unstructured":"The Kirby Institute. 2016. HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmissible infections in Australia. Annual surveillance report 2016. UNSW, Sydney, Australia."},{"key":"e_1_3_1_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.15698\/mic2016.09.523"},{"key":"e_1_3_1_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"125","DOI":"10.33321\/cdi.2007.31.9","article-title":"Syphilis in remote north Queensland","volume":"31","author":"Fagan PS","year":"2007","unstructured":"Fagan PS, Cannon FM. 2007. Syphilis in remote north Queensland. Commun Dis Intell Q Rep 31:125\u2013127.","journal-title":"Commun Dis Intell Q Rep"},{"key":"e_1_3_1_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/CMR.8.1.1"},{"key":"e_1_3_1_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/CVI.00681-14"},{"key":"e_1_3_1_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.39085.518148.BE"},{"key":"e_1_3_1_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/JCM.00720-09"},{"key":"e_1_3_1_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/1471-2334-12-353"},{"key":"e_1_3_1_11_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/sextrans-2012-050622"},{"key":"e_1_3_1_12_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/sti.79.6.479"},{"key":"e_1_3_1_13_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/sti.79.4.332"},{"key":"e_1_3_1_14_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0147422"},{"key":"e_1_3_1_15_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5694\/mja14.00814"}],"container-title":["Journal of Clinical Microbiology"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1128\/JCM.01782-17","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1128\/JCM.01782-17","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,1]],"date-time":"2025-07-01T20:45:56Z","timestamp":1751402756000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.asm.org\/doi\/10.1128\/JCM.01782-17"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Erik","family":"Munson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2018,5]]},"references-count":14,"journal-issue":{"issue":"5","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2018,5]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1128\/JCM.01782-17"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1128\/jcm.01782-17","relation":{},"ISSN":["0095-1137","1098-660X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0095-1137","type":"print"},{"value":"1098-660X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2018,5]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2017-11-16","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2018-02-11","order":1,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2018-04-25","order":2,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}],"article-number":"e01782-17"}}