title: Tests for treponemal antibody in CSF.
abstract: We studied the potential usefulness of CSF treponemal tests in the diagnosis of neurosyphillis. The CSF was tested with the microhemagglutination test for Treponema pallidum (CSF-MHA-TP test) and with the CSF-FTA test by using undiluted CSF and CSF diluted in saline and in sorbent. In a prospective evaluation, of 177 nonsyphilitics, none had reactive CSF-MHA-TP tests and only one had a reactive CSF-FTA test. However, five of 15 syphilitics with no other evidence of neurosyphilis had reactive CSF-FTA tests. The CSF-FTA test reactivity appeared most likely when the titer of the serum FTA test was high. In a retrospective evaluation of syphilitics with reactive CSF-FTA tests, similar patterns of reactivity occurred in patients with and without other evidence of neurosyphilis. Without other supporting clinical or laboratory data, the diagnostic value of a reactive CSF-FTA test is unknown.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000906:Antibodies / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000276:immunology; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006386:Hemagglutination Tests / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D009494:Neurosyphilis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000276:immunology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013588:Syphilis Serodiagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D013592:Syphilis, Latent / Q000175:diagnosis; D014210:Treponema pallidum / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies