title: Laboratory methods of diagnosis of syphilis for the beginning of the third millennium.
abstract: Despite that the whole genome of T. pallidum, the causative agent of syphilis, has been sequenced, syphilis is, and will remain for some time, diagnosed by direct clinical observation and by laboratory methods. This review presents comprehensively most of the practical techniques used for direct detection of T. pallidum and lists all practical methods for phospholipid and treponemal antibodies detection. It describes most novel tests for syphilis, discusses problems with sero-creossreactivity in Lyme disease, immune responses in HIV-syphilis coinfected patients, and reviews serologic responses to antibiotic treatment.
authors.affiliation: Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wicher
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Horowitz
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Wicher
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D000993:Antitreponemal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000150:complications; D013587:Syphilis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D013588:Syphilis Serodiagnosis; D014210:Treponema pallidum / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000993:Antitreponemal Agents