Starting Tuesday, February 15th, 2022, rapid plasma reagin (RPR) testing will be temporarily mailed out to ARUP Laboratories due to nationwide unavailability of the reagents for performing RPR in-house.  The estimated TAT is 2 – 5 days.  The switch to using ARUP Laboratories requires a specimen type change for syphilis testing to a serum separator tube (gold top).  Note that syphilis total antibodies will continue to be performed in-house.

The following tests are affected and will now all use serum separator tube as the specimen type:
   Syphilis Total with Reflex Confirmation [LAB8631] – positive syphilis total antibodies reflexes to RPR
   Syphilis Treatment Follow Up (RPR Only) [LAB7843]
   Rapid Plasma Reagin with Reflex Confirmation [LAB494]

Questions should be directed to Anna Merrill, PhD (678-8400, anna-merrill@uiowa.edu) or Matthew Krasowski, MD, PhD (384-9380, matthew-krasowski@uiowa.edu).