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Correspondence to Author: Davita Pav. 

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33146, USA

Abstract:

People who receive frequent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinations may show persistent reactive plasmin reagin (RPR) responses, as there have been reports of false positive RPR reactivity after a COVID-19 vaccination. Here, we aimed to examine the potential for chronic false RPR reactivity in a longitudinal cohort caused by repeated mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations. Manual RPR card assays were used to screen for RPR reactivity in 119 participants in a longitudinal SARS-CoV-2 cohort study that was approved by the IRB (#20201026). Additional testing was performed on samples that produced reactive results, such as confirmatory fluorescent treponemal antibody (FTA-ABS) testing, anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) testing, and follow-up RPR screening at additional timepoints. Medical histories were gathered.Following booster vaccination, we saw (n = 2) screen-positive RPR results (1.7% [2/119]), with two individuals displaying persistent, vaccine-induced RPR reactivity for up to nine months. Both individuals tested negative for ANA. Clinicians must be aware of the possibility that COVID-19 vaccines may interfere immunologicly with common infectious disease tests, such as RPR testing. Detailed medical histories and clinical contexts, including recent vaccination, should be reviewed prior to proceeding with distressing and invasive workups.
Keywords: COVID-19; RPR; ID assay.

Citation:

Dr.Davita Pav, Covid-19 Vaccine-Induced Chronic False Positive Rapid Plasma Reagin (Rpr) Tests. Advances in Vaccines 2025.