RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Screening tests for syphilis. A comparison of the Treponema pallidum haemagglutination assay with two automated serological tests.
JF The British Journal of Venereal Diseases
JO Br J Vener Dis
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP 348
OP 352
DO 10.1136/sti.53.6.348
VO 53
IS 6
A1 Macfarlane, D E
A1 Elias-Jones, T F
YR 1977
UL http://sti.bmj.com/content/53/6/348.abstract
AB Two Treponema pallidum haemagglutination assay (TPHA) tests (Wellcome and Fuzizoki) were compared with the automated reagin test and the automated Reiter protein complement-fixation test in a routine screening system. The Wellcome TPHA was shown to lack sensitivity, and it is recommended that it should be used at a lower screening dilution. The Fuzizoki TPHA recorded a significant number of false positive and false negative results, and was therefore inferior to the fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA-ABS) test as a definitive test for syphilis. It is suggested that the TPHA be used in conjunction with a reagin test to replace some of the more inadequate screening tests currently in use. The automated screening tests were shown to have a similar sensitivity to the TPHA as well as several other advantages; they are recommended for testing large numbers of specimens.