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The most common blood test for syphilis was the Wassermann test, developed in 1906 by August von Wassermann, though results of the alternative Kahn test were also usually accepted. [1] If a partner tested positive, they would generally be required to undergo a course of treatment until a doctor was satisfied that the infection was resolved.
The Wassermann test or Wassermann reaction (WR) [1] is an antibody test for syphilis, named after the bacteriologist August Paul von Wassermann, based on complement fixation. It was the first blood test for syphilis and the first in the nontreponemal test (NTT) category. Newer NTTs, such as the RPR and VDRL tests, have mostly replaced it.
The fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA-ABS) test is a diagnostic test for syphilis.Using antibodies specific for the Treponema pallidum species, such tests would be assumed to be more specific than non-treponemal testing such as VDRL but have been shown repeatedly to be sensitive but not specific for the diagnosis of neurosyphilis in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
With syphilis cases in U.S. newborns skyrocketing, a doctors group now recommends that all pregnant patients be screened three times for the sexually transmitted infection. The American College of ...
While some may believe it is a disease of the past, syphilis is more prevalent in the United States than any time since the 1950s. Between 2018 and 2022, cases of the disease rose by more than 80% ...
The VDRL is a nontreponemal serological screening for syphilis that is also used to assess response to therapy, to detect central nervous system involvement, and as an aid in the diagnosis of congenital syphilis. The basis of the test is that an antibody produced by a patient with syphilis reacts with an extract of ox heart (diphosphatidyl ...
Syphilis is typically spread through direct contact with a syphilis sore, known as a chancre, during vaginal, anal or oral sex. It can also be passed from a pregnant person to a child during birth.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-approved standard tests include the VDRL test (a slide test), the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test (a card test), the unheated serum reagin (USR) test, and the toluidine red unheated serum test (TRUST). [2] These have mostly replaced the first nontreponemal test, the Wassermann test. [citation needed]