Grant: Op. Gr.:Addressing Infectious/Congenital Syphilis-Syphilis Impl. Science-General

In isolated Arctic communities, long delays between testing and treatment contribute to an incidence of syphilis >15-fold higher than the national average. Reducing the interval between testing and treating cases of infectious syphilis is thus an urgent priority in these communities. We previously showed that front line sexual health nurses could accurately identify untreated patients with presumed infectious syphilis using a specific rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and its automated reader (the STAR study). Crucially, results were similar using serum and whole blood, meaning RDTs can be used at the point of care without centrifugation. This is important because patients with a positive rapid test can be treated during the same clinic visit. Now, we aim to harness non-traditional testing sites combined with validated syphilis rapid tests to cut transmission in affected communities. Our proven team of collaborators will extend this work by measuring the feasibility and added value of using RDTs to expand testing coverage to non-traditional care settings such as opt-in point-of-care testing in places of work and recreational venues in Nunavik communities. This is especially relevant to populations that are underrepresented in traditional care settings yet contribute to community transmission. This project is being developed hand-in-hand with community stakeholders, and will provide robust evidence for innovative diagnostic strategies to combat infectious outbreaks in the Arctic communities, as well as other settings where remoteness or other obstacles to conventional care currently fuel infection transmission.