Syphilis Flashcards
SYPHILIS
what is the principle? explain.
Immunochromatography is a rapid, qualitative test used in rapid syphilis test kits to detect antibodies against Treponema pallidum. it is easy to use however it needs a confirmatory testing.
SYPHILIS
is contamination possible for assay of test serum specimen?
yes, contamination is possible which can cause non-specific raction in the assay and this may result in lower sensitivity and poor reproducibility.
SYPHILIS
if blood specimen is not immediately tested, discard specimen or keep?
- for whole blood, you may refrigerate 2-8C but within 3 days only.
- for serum/plasma, it can be stored for longer period but freeze at -20C
SYPHILIS
what if you added 6 drops of assay diluent, what could be the result?
it may result in a reddish color background or an invalid result
SYPHILIS
test result is not legible after 10 mins due to high background color, is this considered as invalid?
no, you can read again later but within 20 mins of adding the diluent
SYPHILIS
control line appeared with faint test line, what could be the interpretation? is this invalid?
no, faint result is considered as positive
SYPHILIS
is the immunochromatography is suitable for early diagnosis?
test kit will only indicate the presence of TP antibodies in the specimen and should not be used as a sole criteria for diagnosis of TP infection.
SYPHILIS
the patient tested negative but the clinical symptoms still persist? what should you do?
additional follow-up testing should be done because a negative result does not at any time preclude the possibility of TP infection.
SYPHILIS
is syphilis can be acquired thru sharing spoons?
no, they are only transmissted via body fluids. sexual activities could be the best example of transmission.
SYPHILIS
is spirochetes detectable in secondary stage?
yes, spirochetes are present throughout the body during this stage.
condyloma lata are highly infectious
SYPHILIS
what is the most dangerous stage of syphilis? is lesion the most scary part? since syphilis is transmitted via body fluids
late latency is scary since you cannot observe any signs and symptoms but you already have been infected with the microorganism and can possibly transmit to others if ever you are sexually active
SYPHILIS
gumma is destructive ans slowly progressive. is it treatable?
yes, it responds rapidly to antibiotic treatment.
SYPHILIS
it was later found out that the mother was infected with syphilis and she is 6 months pregnant. is the baby infected already or not?
yes, the baby could possibly acquired the congenital syphilis. but if the mother receives treatment during the first 4 months of pregnany, congenital syphilis is usually avoided.
SYPHILIS
patient tested positive in USR test. what’s the next thing to do?
she should undergo a confirmatory testing because to avoid from getting false positive results. USR is used only for screening and is not specific because this antibody will cross react with SLE, autoimmune disease, pregnancy, and hepatitis.
SYPHILIS
differentiate nontreponemal and treponemal test based on their specificity, performance, etc.
NONTREPONEMAL is a qualitative test so it is not specific and is used only for screening. it is also prone to false positives since it will corss react with other antigens.
TREPONEMAL is a confirmatory tests and it is highly specific since it uses TP cells as the antigen source.
