Diagnostics
Comparative Analysis of Two Real-Time PCR Techniques for the Detection of Congenital Syphilis in Umbilical Cord Blood
By Algarra-Tavera GN, Páramo-Cipagauta AJ, Moreno-Gonzalez AM and 2 others.
Abstract
Background
Syphilis remains a relevant public health problem and continues to be associated with adverse perinatal outcomes. In newborns, conventional serological tests are often difficult to interpret due to maternal antibody transfer and the immaturity of the neonatal immune response. These limitations have led to increasing interest in molecular approaches as complementary diagnostic tools.
Methods
This pilot study compared two real-time PCR methodologies for detecting Treponema pallidum DNA in umbilical cord blood: a SYBR Green-based qPCR targeting the polA gene and a TaqMan probe-based qPCR targeting the TpN47 gene. Thirty samples from neonates born to mothers with suspected gestational syphilis were analyzed under standardized conditions. Analytical performance and reproducibility were evaluated before application to clinical samples.