[Laboratory-based evaluation of DainaScreen TPAb to detect specific antibodies against Treponema pallidum]

A newly developed immunochromatography assay, DainaScreen TPAb (Dainabot, Tokyo), to detect antibodies specific to Treponema pallidum was evaluated. When we tested serum and plasma samples of Syphilis Mixed Titer Performance Panel PSS201 (Boston Biomedica, Inc. , Bridgewater, MA, U.S.A.), all the test results obtained by DainaScreen TPAb were comparable to those determined by fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test (FTA-ABS). Both within-run and day-to-day variation tests were highly precise, and no discrepant interpretation was obtained by the different medical technicians performed. Also, the testings of whole blood and plasma for individual samples gave same interpretations. The minimum detectable antibody titer was equal to that of Mediace TPLA (Sekisui Chemicals, Osaka) determined by Behring Nephelometer Analyzer (Dade Behring, Marburg, Germany). All the test results by DainaScreen TPAb for clinical serum samples were comparable to those by Mediace TPLA. With these results, we can conclude that DainaScreen TPAb is a rapid, practical and easy-to-perform alternative to detect antibodies specific to Treponema pallidum, in particular as being a point-of-care testing.