Home Syphilis test confusion

[jirilukas]

Hi There,

I performed oral sex on escort in Prague 2 months ago. The rest was protected. No visible sores or her vagina. One month ago, I took a home test (MiraTes brand). The test band was not colored, but as the fluid passed over it the borders were visible. The control band was visible in clear red/pink color.
After 2 months I did another test, with the similar results - the test band did show any coloration (but borders were visible) and the color band was red/pink (although less pronounced this time, but red).
I'm confused. The test manual clearly says that if 2 color stripes are present then the test is positive. I think the keyword is "color". Mine were not colored (did the test twice), BUT the boundaries of the test stripe were visible. But I'm still confused.
I'm not sure if that brand is US Registered, but the underlying chemical process will be probably the same as with the other tests. So from your experience, what does that mean?
Also I did not develop any symptoms of primary syphilis around or inside the mouth (and I was checking thoroughly). From my understanding it's too early for the secondary symptoms to appear yet.

Thanks,

Lukas

[auntiejessi]

Is this the test you took? https://apo-medical.cz/en/consumables/40309-mirates-syphilis-test-1-pc-4052199271859.html

I can't find a lot more about it, like what kind of test it is, but since it's looking for antibodies, it is likely an RPR or VDRL.

According to their site:

Positive result: two test strips appear in the oval hole for the test cassette. Your blood contains antibodies. P Turn bacteria that cause syphilis. It is very likely that you are infected. Contact your health care provider immediately.

Negative result: one oval strip (control) appeared in the oval test cassette. This means that the test was performed correctly and you are not infected with syphilis. However, this may also indicate that the concentration of antibodies against bacteria in the blood sample was too low to record a positive result. If any symptoms persist, we recommend that you consult a doctor.

Invalid result: there are no bands in the oval test cassette. This means that the test was not performed correctly.


It doesn't mention borders, but if you only got one strip, it means you're negative.

Is there a reason you're focused on syphilis? Syphilis is pretty uncommon around the world, and unless she had actual sores, you wouldn't get it from her.

If you're still concerned, can you go to the doctor for a syphilis test?

[jirilukas]

She didn't have any visible sores as far as I can remember, although I was a bit drunk. The main reason I fear syphilis is that I couldn't handle that anonymously. In Czech an actual treatment requires hospitalization (due to the common toxin release side effects). Also you cannot take lab tests anonymously - you will leave track.
I ordered another brand of test online to try it again. I spoke to a person that happens to be some kind of community support for prostitutes and they often use these tests in the field. She said that it's normal that the test band shows up first and then gradually disappears over time. That was exactly what I was experiencing from the minute the fluid covered the test band. So that made me a bit relieved. She said that positive result is a clear red/pink line.
Other people seemed to have had issues with the same Mirates test, so I'm hoping the new brand will make things definitive.

Thanks for your insight


Lukas

[auntiejessi]

So some perspective for you that I hope helps.

The Czech Republic has 10.65 million people, according to my very quick Google search.

In 2017 (the latest data I could find anything for), it had about 730 syphilis cases. https://brnodaily.com/2017/06/29/breaking-news/number-of-people-infected-with-sexual-diseases-rises-in-czech-republic/

Even if it's continuing to rise, even if it doubled, or tripled, it's still not a high number. Chances of this particular escort having syphilis is very, very low, statistically. You all have incredibly low STD rates - you had 2307 chlamydia infections in 2016.

For comparison, the US has 327.2 million people, and in 2017, had 101,567 cases reported. (https://www.cdc.gov/std/stats17/syphilis.htm) In 2018, a total of 1,758,668 chlamydial infections were reported to CDC - https://www.cdc.gov/std/stats18/chlamydia.htm

So really, the chances of you having syphilis are so, so low. And why do you need it to be anonymous?