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Evaluation of a competitive enzyme immunoassay in screening for syphilis
E De Majo1, G Bianchini, F Parri
1Laboratorio di Batteriologia e Virologia, USL/10D, Florence, Italy.
Abstract:
A competitive immunoenzymatic method has been developed and evaluated for the serological screening of syphilis. The method detects both anti-Treponema Pallidum IgG and IgM. The kit, commercially known as "Syphilis Screen", is produced by DIESSE Diagnostica Senese (Siena, Italy); all the required reagents are included and are ready for use. The test is performed on undiluted serum and a single incubation step is necessary. The method can be easily automated, and the results do not require a subjective interpretation. A good correlation was found with the Treponema Pallidum Haemagglutination (TPHA) technique: only 14 out of 2350 samples tested (2090 non reactive and 260 reactive) were found to be in disagreement. This test can be considered an alternative to the TPHA method in screening for syphilis.