Syphilis immunoassay

* Tests based on monoclonal antibodies and immunofluorescence, including treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay (TPHA) and fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA-ABS) are more specific and more expensive.[1][2]

* Following positive non-treponemal tests, FTA-ABS is commonly used to confirm the diagnosis. Sensitivity ranges from 84% for detection of primary infection to approximately 100% for the diagnosis of other stages with a specificity of 96%.[3]

* Unfortunately, false positives can still occur in related treponomal infections such as yaws and pinta.

* Tests based on enzyme-linked immunoassays for immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) are also used to confirm the results of simpler screening tests for syphilis.

## Resources

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* Sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines, 2010[4]

* Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL). Laboratory Diagnostic Testing for Treponema pallidum. Expert Consultation Meeting Summary Report, January 13--15, 2009, Atlanta, GA

* CDC: Guidelines for the laboratory diagnosis of gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis

## References

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1. ↑ Schmid GP (1996). "Serologic screening for syphilis. Rationale, cost, and realpolitik". Sexually Transmitted Diseases. 23 (1): 45–50. PMID 8801642. Retrieved 2012-02-16.
2. ↑ Young H (1998). "Syphilis. Serology". Dermatologic Clinics. 16 (4): 691–8. PMID 9891668. Unknown parameter `|month=` ignored (help); `|access-date=` requires `|url=` (help)
3. ↑ Golden MR, Marra CM, Holmes KK (2003). "Update on syphilis: resurgence of an old problem". JAMA : the Journal of the American Medical Association. 290 (11): 1510–4. doi:10.1001/jama.290.11.1510. PMID 13129993. Retrieved 2012-02-16. Unknown parameter `|month=` ignored (help)CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
4. ↑ Workowski KA, Berman S (2010). "Sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines, 2010". MMWR. Recommendations and Reports : Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Recommendations and Reports / Centers for Disease Control. 59 (RR-12): 1–110. PMID 21160459. Retrieved 2012-02-16. Unknown parameter `|month=` ignored (help)

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