TESTS FOR SYPHILIS. THE INCREASING INCIDENCE OF BIOLOGIC FALSE POSITIVE REACTIONS AS MEASURED BY TREPONEMA PALLIDUM IMMOBILIZATION.
Analysis of data obtained in 25,787 Treponema pallidum immobilization tests in a ten-year period showed an increase in the incidence of biologic false positive (BFP) reactions for syphilis, and a decrease in the incidence of reactive TPI tests. The percentage of BFP tests increased from 54.2 per cent in 1953 to 70.7 per cent in 1962. Reaction to a standard serologic test for syphilis (STS) indicates only that the patient may have syphilis. A subsequent non-reactive TPI test remains the best procedure for ruling out a diagnosis of syphilis. Thus the clinician should be made more aware of the fact that a biologic false positive reaction strongly implies the existence of another disease, the cause of which should be investigated.
D001688:Biological Products; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013587:Syphilis; D014209:Treponema Immobilization Test; D014210:Treponema pallidum
D001688:Biological Products
STATISTICS; TREPONEMA IMMOBILIZATION TEST