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. 2014 May-Jun;12(3):268-73.
doi: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2013.10.010. Epub 2013 Oct 30.

False-positive rapid plasma reagin testing in patients with acute Plasmodium vivax malaria: a case control study

Ryan C Maves  1 , Katherine Dean  2 , Nilda Gadea  3 , Eric S Halsey  3 , Paul C F Graf  4 , Andres G Lescano  3
Affiliations

False-positive rapid plasma reagin testing in patients with acute Plasmodium vivax malaria: a case control study

Ryan C Maves et al. Travel Med Infect Dis. 2014 May-Jun.

Abstract

Non-treponemal tests such as the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) assay are mainstays of syphilis diagnosis, but false-positive tests are common. We identified false-positive RPR titers in 8.2% of patients with malaria due to Plasmodium vivax in northern Peru. Similar rates were not detected in patients with other acute febrile illnesses.

Keywords: Diagnostic test; Syphilis; Vivax malaria.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention diagnostic algorithms for syphilis. In the traditional algorithm, a screening quantitative RPR is followed by a confirmatory treponemal assay. In the reverse algorithm, an EIA or CIA specific for Treponema pallidum replaces the RPR as the screening test; a positive EIA or CIA is followed by a confirmatory RPR. If that RPR is negative, a second treponemal test is performed to verify the results. RPR = rapid plasma reagin; TP-HA = T. pallidum hemoagglutination test; TP-PA = T. pallidum particle agglutination test; EIA = enzyme immunoassay; CIA = chemiluminescence immunoassay.
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