Questions about Testing for Syphilis

• Why Test for Syphilis?

  Many people are infected unknowingly with an STI, and the longer an infection remains unknown, the higher the risk that other people will also be unknowingly infected. With the cerascreen Syphilis Test, you can eliminate the risk of infecting your new partner with syphilis – or you can also check that your new partner is not carrying the infection.

  Sexually transmitted infections are often a taboo, which means that many people do not get the treatment or diagnosis that they need because they are too ashamed to go to their doctor. This is why cerascreen’s Syphilis Test offers you a great solution: to discreetly take a test at home whenever suits you best.

• How Does the Test Work?

  For the Syphilis Test, you use a lancet to collect a small blood sample from your fingertip. Only a few drops of blood are necessary.

  You collect the sample on a dried blood spot card and send it in the included mailing envelope free of charge to our CLIA-certified partner lab, which will analyze your blood for the presence of the pathogen Treponema pallidum. After your sample has been analyzed, you will receive a results report in your user account on our website or in the my cerascreen® app.

  Please note: The cerascreen® Syphilis Test does not replace medical advice or diagnosis. Your test result alone is not sufficient for independent treatment and measures. Please always consult your responsible physicians* if you want to take further measures.

• What Is the Most Accurate Test for Syphilis?

  Testing for syphilis is usually carried out by collecting samples of blood, bodily fluid, or tissue. If a first test indicates a possible syphilis infection, more tests are then conducted in order to confirm an infection. The most accurate testing for a syphilis infection is, therefore, always achieved by carrying out more than one test.

  
  

  While some tests look for antibodies to the bacterium Treponema pallidum (the germ that causes syphilis), other tests screen for the syphilis germ itself. The cerascreen Syphilis Test is a test that screens for this germ. For this method of testing, there are only two possible outcomes: Syphilis germs are either detected or not detected in the sample provided.

  
  

  Testing for antibodies is not always quite so straightforward. These kinds of tests can produce false-positive results if the person tested has one of the following conditions: HIV, Lyme disease, malaria, tuberculosis, recent vaccinations, or lupus. In the event that you receive a negative result, and you are deemed high risk by your doctor, you may be asked to return for another test after a few weeks.

  
  

  The accuracy of a syphilis test may also depend on the stage of syphilis.

• What Is Syphilis?

  Syphilis is one type of sexually transmitted infection (STI) that is common on a global scale; in the US alone, there were over 115,000 cases reported in 2018. The pathogen Treponema pallidum causes the venereal disease syphilis.

  Syphilis is transmitted by sexual intercourse if a person comes into contact with their sexual partner’s urethra, vagina, penis, or rectum. Infection can also occur through sperm, vaginal secretion and urine through the mouth, genital area, anus, mucosa of the penis, or by contact with the hand. 

• How Long Can Syphilis Go Undetected?

  There are many stages of syphilis – at each stage, an infected person may experience different symptoms.

  During the early stages, you may notice ulcers – especially in the genital area – and swollen lymph nodes. At later stages (up to two years after infection), you might get non-specific symptoms such as headaches and rashes on the palms of your hands and feet. If the infection is not treated, late stages of syphilis often leads to disorders of the organs and nervous system. It would, however, be very rare for a syphilis infection to be diagnosed at these late stages.

• What Does the Results Report Tell Me?

  Your personalized results report will first of all provide you with details about whether or not the pathogen Treponema pallidum could be detected in your blood sample. If this bacterium was detected, you will receive recommendations to visit your doctor, dermatologist, or urologist. Besides this information, your results report will tell you in-depth information about the symptoms of syphilis at various stages of the infection – that is, after a few weeks, up to two years, or up to five years after infection.

  Finally, the results report will also provide you with answers to frequently asked questions on the topic – and contact details, should you have any more questions about your results report that need answering.

• What Are the Recommendations?

  To prevent a syphilis infection in the first place, it is recommended that you use a condom or Femidom during sexual intercourse with a partner – whether they are a long-term partner or not. Condoms and Femidoms work by preventing direct contact between the mucous membranes and fluids of two sexual partners. Even so, please note that condoms do not offer complete protection against sexually transmitted infections. If you or your partner has weeping skin, contact with it should be avoided at all costs, as the fluid is highly contagious.

  It is furthermore advisable that if you frequently change sexual partners, you should get regularly tested for syphilis for peace of mind and in order to detect and treat the disease in good time. 

  
  

• What Should I Do If I Have a Syphilis Infection?

  If you do receive a positive result from our Syphilis test, a doctor will get in touch with you to explain what happens next - that is, which steps you should take to treat your infection.

  Treatment often involves taking antibiotics, such as penicillin, which are administered according to the stage of the disease. The infection is curable if detected at an early stage and the bacteria is eradicated from the body. However, any tissue or organ damage already caused by the pathogen cannot be reversed.

  You may find that, while undergoing treatment for syphilis, you need to take regular blood tests in order to observe how the infection is reacting to the dosage of medicine.

  Please note: Treatment should always be discussed with your doctor or physician.

• Who Should Not Take the Test?

  The Syphilis Test is not intended for certain people or only in special circumstances:

  • People with infectious diseases like hepatitis and HIV may not take the Syphilis Test.
  • People with hemophilia should not take the test.
  • Pregnant and nursing women should only take the Syphilis Test in the presence of a doctor. The reference values and recommendations provided in the test are not for pregnant and nursing women; therefore, you should ask your doctor about your test results.
  • The Syphilis Test is not intended for children under the age of 18.

  This test is not intended to officially diagnose you with a syphilis infection. If you still suffer from symptoms, consult your family doctor, dermatologist, or your urologist.