An Effective Simplified Serologic Test for Syphilis Employing Reiter Protein

Abstract

The ideal serologic test for syphilis would be one which satisfies certain practical and logical criteria. It should give positive reactions with the serums of all patients with a syphilitic infection; it should give negative reactions with the serums of nonsyphilitic persons; furthermore, it should be relatively inexpensive and simply performed by the average hospital laboratory. Unfortunately, such an ideal test is not available. Theoretically, a test employing cultured pathogenic Nichols strain Treponema pallidum as an antigen could be expected to fulfill these criteria. To date, however, the cultivation of this micro-organism has never been realized, despite the efforts of Noguchi^1-3 and others. In an attempt to culture this treponeme Nelson⁴ devised a medium which is capable of maintaining the life of the virulent Nichols strain T. pallidum for as long as 14 days with a half-life of 6 to 8 days. Unfortunately,