Comparative Evaluation of the Diagnostic Efficiency of Laboratory Methods for Syphilis Research in the Kyrgyz Republic

This article describes a comparative analysis of the diagnostic efficacy of nontreponemal (RPR) and treponemal (ELISA, RPHA) tests for various forms of syphilis infection. The specificity and sensitivity of these methods were studied in five different groups: pregnant women, newborns with suspected congenital syphilis, patients with dermatological pathologies, patients with neurological pathologies, and individuals with a confirmed diagnosis of syphilis during treatment. The study was conducted at the Republican Center for Dermatovenereology and included 250 patients. The study results revealed a significant decrease in the specificity of RPR in newborns (71.4%) and pregnant women (88.1%), as well as its limited diagnostic value for neurosyphilis (sensitivity 57.1%). This study supports the theory of the need to use treponemal tests as arbiters for diagnosis verification and justifies the need to switch to a reverse testing algorithm.