Reactor Grids for Prioritizing Syphilis Investigations: Are Primary Syphilis Cases Being Missed?

ABSTRACT:

Background

Health departments prioritize investigations of reported reactive serologic tests based on age, gender, and titer using reactor grids. We wondered how reactor grids are used in different programs, and if administratively closing investigations of low-titer tests could lead to missed primary syphilis cases.

Methods

We obtained a convenience sample of reactor grids from 13 health departments. Interviews with staff from several jurisdictions described the role of grids in surveillance and intervention. From 5 jurisdictions, trends in reactive nontreponemal tests and syphilis cases over time (2006-2015) were assessed by gender, age, and titer. In addition, nationally-reported primary syphilis cases (2013-2015) were analyzed to determine what proportion had low titers

SUBMITTER: Cha S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6129433 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature