Abstract
One-step lateral flow test is recommended as the first line screening of syphilis for primary healthcare settings in developing countries. However, it generally shows low sensitivity. We describe here the development of a novel fluorescent POC (Point Of Care) test method to be used for screening for syphilis. The method was designed to combine the rapidness of lateral flow test and sensitiveness of fluorescent method. 50 syphilis-positive specimens and 50 healthy specimens conformed by Treponema pallidum particle agglutination (TPPA) were tested with Quantum Dot-labeled and colloidal gold-labeled lateral flow test strips, respectively. The results showed that both sensitivity and specificity of the quantum dots–based method reached up to 100% (95% confidence interval [CI], 91–100%), while those of the colloidal gold-based method were 82% (95% CI, 68–91%) and 100% (95% CI, 91–100%), respectively. In addition, the naked-eye detection limit of quantum dot–based method could achieve 2 ng/ml of anti-TP47 polyclonal antibodies purified by affinity chromatography with TP47 antigen, which was tenfold higher than that of colloidal gold–based method. In conclusion, the quantum dots were found to be suitable for labels of lateral flow test strip. Its ease of use, sensitiveness and low cost make it well-suited for population-based on-the-site syphilis screening.
Highlights
Lateral flow test, one of the most common Point-Of-Care (POC) test formats, is well-known via home pregnancy test strips and widely applied into qualitative or semi-quantitative detection of numerous analytes including antibodies, viruses, bacteria, nucleic acid, antibiotics, specific biomarkers, and even pesticide [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]
We describe here the development of a novel fluorescent POC (Point Of Care) test method to be used for screening for syphilis
The method was designed to combine the rapidness of lateral flow test and sensitiveness of fluorescent method. 50 syphilis-positive specimens and 50 healthy specimens conformed by Treponema pallidum particle agglutination (TPPA) were tested with Quantum Dot-labeled and colloidal gold-labeled lateral flow test strips, respectively
Summary
Hao Yang • Ding Li • Rong He • Qin Guo • Kan Wang • Xueqing Zhang • Peng Huang • Daxiang Cui Received: 2 November 2009 / Accepted: 5 March 2010 / Published online: 23 March 2010 Ó The Author(s) 2010. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com
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