@article {Pavia75, author = {C S Pavia and C J Niederbuhl}, title = {Experimental infection of inbred guinea pigs with Treponema pallidum: development of lesions and formation of antibodies.}, volume = {61}, number = {2}, pages = {75--81}, year = {1985}, doi = {10.1136/sti.61.2.75}, publisher = {The Medical Society for the Study of Venereal Disease}, abstract = {Inbred strain 2 and strain 13 guinea pigs were infected intradermally in the hind legs with different numbers of the virulent Nichols strain of Treponema pallidum. About 91\% of the animals developed clearly visible lesions after being injected with 5 X 10(6) to 10 X 10(6) treponemes. T pallidum organisms could be isolated from skin lesions at various stages after infection. Infected animals were monitored for the production of specific treponemal and non-specific cardiolipin antibodies by the fluorescent treponemal antibody (FTA) and microhaemagglutination (MHA-TP) tests and the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) card test. Low levels of specific antibodies could be detected by both FTA and MHA-TP tests from three to four weeks after infection. Maximum titres of treponemal antibody generally occurred after week 6 and persisted for several more months. These peak titres ranged from 1/40 to 1/80 in the FTA test and 1/160 to 1/320 in the MHA-TP test. During the same period infected guinea pigs, unlike rabbits with syphilis, did not produce detectable quantities of antibodies against cardiolipin.}, issn = {0266-4348}, URL = {https://sti.bmj.com/content/61/2/75}, eprint = {https://sti.bmj.com/content/61/2/75.full.pdf}, journal = {Sexually Transmitted Infections} }