Dr. Arnold Castro has developed innovative tests to more quickly diagnose syphilis. As a result, patients may begin receiving treatment sooner.

Editor’s Note: Dr. Arnold received this honor from the Laboratory Science, Policy and Practice Program Office (LSPPPO) in the Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services (OSELS) at CDC. We asked Dr. Castro some questions about his work: 

What do you do at CDC?           

I am a research microbiologist and I am responsible for the development of new innovative point of care (POC) rapid tests for the diagnosis of syphilis using serum, plasma or whole blood. The test is simple, inexpensive, requires no expertise to interpret the results and it is capable of determining the serological status of a patient by screening and confirming the result in a single test within 2 to 15 minutes while the patient waits at the clinical site. I also have other duties related to syphilis detection, including serving as technical advisor for the WHO syphilis Proficiency Testing Program at CDC.