In the context of increasing syphilis incidence in many Western countries, we sought to better understand the frequency and outcomes associated with inconclusive serologic syphilis results. To accomplish this, we reviewed all inconclusive results that arose from an indeterminant confirmatory treponemal screen (specifically the Treponema pallidum particulate agglutination test), which were reported to Ottawa Public Health from January 1, 2019, through December 31, 2019. Our case review identified that 52 persons generated such test results during the study period, of whom 44.4% were cases requiring treatment, 46.3% were persons without new risk factors or symptoms of syphilis who had been previously treated for this infection, and 9.3% were not syphilis. Overall, these untreated syphilis cases accounted for 8.6% of all new syphilis diagnoses in our local jurisdiction during the study period. These results highlight that case investigation and prompt management of inconclusive syphilis results is an appropriate public health and clinical approach and that such a strategy could contribute to efforts to reduce increasing syphilis incidence.

中文翻译：

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不确定的梅毒结果：公共卫生结果的回顾性审查。

在许多西方国家梅毒发病率不断增加的背景下，我们试图更好地了解与不确定的血清学梅毒结果相关的频率和结果。为了实现这一目标，我们审查了不确定性确认性密螺旋体筛查（特别是梅毒螺旋体颗粒凝集试验）产生的所有不确定结果，这些结果于2019年1月1日至2019年12月31日期间向渥太华公共卫生部门报告。我们的病例审查发现研究期间有52人产生了这样的检测结果，其中44.4%是需要治疗的病例，46.3%是没有新的梅毒危险因素或症状但之前接受过这种感染治疗的人，9.3%不是梅毒。总体而言，这些未经治疗的梅毒病例占研究期间我们当地辖区所有新梅毒诊断的 8.6%。这些结果强调，病例调查和对不确定的梅毒结果的及时管理是一种适当的公共卫生和临床方法，并且这种策略可能有助于减少梅毒发病率的增加。