title: Double-staining procedure for the fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA-ABS) test.
abstract: The fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA-ABS) double-staining procedure was reproducible, comparable to the conventional test, and easy to read. We recommend the use of the FTA-ABS double-staining procedure for microscopes with incident illumination, the 100 x/1.30 oil achromatic objective and the 6.3 x ocular to obtain optimal fluorescence, and the KP560 as a barrier filter to exclude rhodamine emission when fluorescein fluorescence is read. With this system, errors related to poor focusing or failure to visualise treponemes on all smears should be eliminated.
mesh_terms: D005452:Fluoresceins; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods; D012235:Rhodamines; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods; D013587:Syphilis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013588:Syphilis Serodiagnosis / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D005452:Fluoresceins; D012235:Rhodamines