Preventing Congenital Syphilis Through Evidence-Based Clinical Bundles in Community Settings

Congenital syphilis (CS) cases have increased nearly eightfold during the past decade in the United States. CS occurs when Treponema pallidum, the causative bacteria of syphilis, is transmitted from an infected pregnant person to their fetus. Untreated maternal syphilis is linked to stillbirth, preterm birth, and neonatal death. Clinical bundles (small sets of evidence-based interventions that are implemented together) are described in this article to improve maternal and infant health outcomes related to CS. These components include opt-out screening with provider scripting, reverse syphilis testing algorithm use, point-of-care testing, electronic health record optimization, and community awareness and engagement. Implementation studies are needed to evaluate whether bundled approaches to syphilis screening in community health settings can improve detection and timely treatment of syphilis to prevent CS.