Novel Point-of-care Testing for Elimination of Congenital Syphilis

Congenital syphilis, caused by mother to child transmission of syphilis, is the second leading cause of stillbirth globally. Definitive diagnosis of active syphilis in pregnant women is challenging, particularly in low-resource settings as it requires combination of a screening and a laboratory confirmatory test. The “Point-of-care testing for diagnosis of maternal syphilis” study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of a new rapid test for syphilis which may revolutionise syphilis testing at antenatal care clinics in low-resource settings. The study recruits ~2,500 pregnant women who receive regular antenatal care services and require syphilis testing at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva Fiji. Standard laboratory testing, clinical examination and index testing results will be used to evaluate the capacity of the new rapid test (and a new point-of-care testing procedure) in identifying active syphilis in pregnant women, and its potential for diagnosis of congenital syphilis in infants born to infected mothers. We have opportunities for Honours, Master by Research and/or PhD students to be part of this study and develop thesis proposals that sit within a broader program of work which focuses on evaluating the progress, identifying barriers, developing and implementing innovative clinical/public health interventions to accelerate the global progress towards elimination of congenital syphilis by 2030. The students will be part of the Global Women’s and Newborn’s Health Working Group, working across international development and public health disciplines of the Burnet Institute; and have opportunities to collaborate/work with our research partners in Australia and internationally.