An uncertain association between influenza season, recent influenza vaccination campaigns, and unconfirmed repeat reactive syphilis serology assay results in Canadian blood donors

Drews, Steven J.; Bodnar, Melanie; Gill, Balkar; Carson, David; Hawes, Gordon; Yi, Qilong; Tran, Vanessa; Zhou, Hong; Bigham, Mark; O’Brien, Sheila F

doi:10.1111/trf.16786

Transfusion

2022

DOI: 10.1111/trf.16786

|View full text |Cite

An uncertain association between influenza season, recent influenza vaccination campaigns, and unconfirmed repeat reactive syphilis serology assay results in Canadian blood donors

Steven J. Drews

Melanie Bodnar

Balkar Gill

et al.

Help me understand this report

Search citation statements

Order By: Relevance

Paper Sections

Select...

Citation Types

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Year Published

2024

Publication Types

Select...

Article2

Relationship

Self Cite0

Independent2

Authors

Journals

Cited by 2 publications

References 3 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

Seasonal increase in syphilis screening reactivity rates in whole blood donors, United States, 2011–2023

Miller,

Long,

Conry‐Cantilena

et al. 2024

Transfusion

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundIn December 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration published a letter to clinical laboratory staff and healthcare providers detailing a risk of false Rapid Plasma Reagin (RPR) when using the Bio‐Rad Laboratories BioPlex 2200 Syphilis Total & RPR kit in people who had received COVID‐19 vaccination; Treponema pallidum particle agglutination assays did not appear to be impacted by this issue. We evaluated reactivity rates of syphilis screening with negative confirmatory testing at our institution by year and seasonality.MethodsWe performed a retrospective study of routine syphilis testing of whole blood (WB) collections at an academic hospital‐based donor center in the eastern United States. All WB donations from 2011 to 2023 which demonstrated reactive syphilis screening (Beckman Coulter PK TP Microhemagglutination) with negative confirmatory testing (CAPTIA Syphilis (T. pallidum)‐G) were evaluated. Reactivity rates by year and season of donation were compared using unpaired t‐tests.ResultsA total of 109 WB donations from 86 unique donors who donated from 2011 to 2023 screened reactive for syphilis with negative confirmatory testing. The unconfirmed syphilis reactivity rate increased from 2018 to 2023 (mean: 0.360%) compared to 2011–2017 (mean: 0.071%, p < .05). An autumnal peak in unconfirmed reactives was observed.ConclusionThe unconfirmed syphilis reactivity rate among WB donors at our institution increased markedly since 2017 compared to the 7 years prior and doubled from 2020 to 2021. No testing assay changes explain these results. The autumnal peak in unconfirmed reactives suggests a possible environmental trigger such as viral infection or vaccination.

show abstract

Seasonal increase in syphilis screening reactivity rates in whole blood donors, United States, 2011–2023

Miller,

Long,

Conry‐Cantilena

et al. 2024

Transfusion

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Higher rates of laboratory‐confirmed cases of syphilis in Western Canadian blood donors compared with Eastern Canadian blood donors following a period of societal re‐opening

Drews,

Charlton,

Tran

et al. 2024

Vox Sanguinis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background and ObjectivesThere is a growing infectious syphilis outbreak in Western Canada. Although blood donors are screened for syphilis risks, some blood donors will still be confirmed test‐positive for syphilis. This study compares the characteristics of confirmed test‐positive syphilis donations in both Western Canada and Eastern Canada, November 2022–August 2023.Materials and MethodsDonors were defined as Western or Eastern Canadian. Blood donations were tested for syphilis using the PK‐TP assay (Beckman Coulter PK7300 Automated Microplate System). Confirmatory Treponema pallidum particle agglutination (TPPA) and rapid plasma reagin (RPR) assays were performed by one of two reference laboratories. An RPR titre ≥1:8 was used as a proxy for possible infectious syphilis.ResultsRates of laboratory‐confirmed syphilis were higher in Western (n = 43, 13.4/100,000 donations) versus Eastern donors (n = 19, 4.7/100,000 donations; Fisher's exact test, two‐sided, p ≤ 0.0001). Most syphilis confirmations were in first‐time donors (Western Canada n = 31/43, 72.1%, Eastern Canada 12/19, 63.2%).ConclusionAlthough rates of laboratory‐confirmed syphilis were higher in Western versus Eastern donors, Western donors did not have higher rates of infectious syphilis. Further studies might assess whether donors with laboratory‐confirmed syphilis understood pre‐donation screening questions or were completely unaware of a past infection.

show abstract

scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.

Contact Info

customersupport@researchsolutions.com

10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614

Henderson, NV 89052, USA

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Blog Terms and Conditions API Terms Privacy Policy Contact Cookie Preferences Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Made with 💙 for researchers

Part of the Research Solutions Family.

An uncertain association between influenza season, recent influenza vaccination campaigns, and unconfirmed repeat reactive syphilis serology assay results in Canadian blood donors

Cited by 2 publications

References 3 publications

Seasonal increase in syphilis screening reactivity rates in whole blood donors, United States, 2011–2023

Seasonal increase in syphilis screening reactivity rates in whole blood donors, United States, 2011–2023

Higher rates of laboratory‐confirmed cases of syphilis in Western Canadian blood donors compared with Eastern Canadian blood donors following a period of societal re‐opening

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About