Abstract

Using sera from 340 patients with syphilis the Treponema pallidum immune adherence (TPIA) test was compared with the glass plate, T. pallidum haemagglutination (TPHA), and fluorescent treponemal antibody-absorbed (FTA-ABS) tests. The results of the TPIA test agreed with those of the glass plate, TPHA, and FTA-ABS tests in 65%, 82%, and 73% of cases respectively. In the quantitative TPIA test no significant correlation with the other tests was observed, and it is, therefore, concluded that the TPIA test has highly individual characteristics. From gel filtration the particular feature of the test was its high sensitivity to the IgM antibody. The TPIA test thus appears to be suitable for estimating antibody in the early stages of the disease.