Saadia A, Tarar Mr, Naeem T, Alvi N, Ahsen, Qureshi M.
Comparison of chemiluminescence immunoassay and immunochromatographic test for syphilis screening in blood donors attending a tertiary care hospital of Lahore.
Biomedica Jan ;32(2):97-9.

Background and Objective: The screening process of blood donors for transfusion transmitted infections (TTIs) is an essential step of blood transfusion. Multiple tests are available for detection of organism causing syphilis i.e. Treponema pallidum. The objective of this study was to compare the performance of Chemiluminescence Immunoassay (CLIA) and Immunochromatographic test (ICT) that are available for this purpose. Methods: One hundred consecutive samples were obtained from donors presenting in the Blood Bank of Shalamar Teaching Hospital (STH). The screening for syphilis was done using CLIA and ICT simultaneously. The CLIA was performed on VITROS ECi Immunodiagnostics system (Ortho Clinical Diagnostics) and ICT by using Alere Determine Syphilis TP (Abbott Diagnostics, Chicago IL, USA). Sera with discordant results were tested by Fluorescent Treponemal Antibody-Absorption Test (FTA-ABS) for confirmation. Results: Out of 100 sera tested, 97 were negative and 2 were positive by both the techniques.One sample had discordant result which was reconfirmed using a third method. Conclusion: Our results showed comparable performance of the two techniques with 99% agreement of results for syphilis screening of the donors. We suggest using the ICT assay in situations (a) where the laboratory cannot afford to have a more advanced system for blood donors, (b) as a backup and (c) in life-threatening situations where time saving may be life saving.

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