Current Trends in Point-of-Care Testing for Syphilis and Tuberculosis in Developing Countries

Abstract: Globally, 1.4 million syphilis-infected women became pregnant in 2008, resulting in significant perinatal mortality and congenital syphilis infection. Worldwide tuberculosis (TB) incidence was 8.6 million in 2012, with 1.3 million deaths. While low-cost point-of-care tests (POCTs) have transformed the control of human immunodeficiency virus, diagnostics for syphilis and TB remain problematic, and this is hampering control of these diseases in low-income countries. This review article will assess the shortfalls of current laboratory-based TB and syphilis diagnostics, discuss the definition and ideal characteristics of a POCT, and examine the successes and drawbacks of current TB and syphilis POCTs. Operational shortfalls in rollout of POCTs in high-burden settings are explored, and prospects for future testing are appraised.
Source: Point of Care: The Journal of Near-Patient Testing and Technology - Category: Pathology Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research