[Specificity and sensitivity of the solid phase hemadsorption test: a study of treated and untreated syphilitics]

SPHA-test was performed on 317 treated and 78 untreated patients with syphilis and partly compared to 19S-IgM-FTA-ABS- as well as VDRL-test. Equivalent results were obtained in a reference laboratory, the correspondence being 94.8 percent regarding SPHA and 95.6 percent concerning 19S-IgM-FTA-ABS. In comparison to 19S-IgM-FTA-ABS, increased numbers of weakly reactive values occurred in SPHA correlating with the Latex-test. Because of its specificity and sensitiveness, SPHA turned out to be superior to VDRL with regard to the control of treatment. The biological significance of weakly reactive SPHA results is still unclear and does not indicate a necessity for therapy.