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Can T. Pallidum antibodies decrease after being treated for syphilis?
Hello,
I have been struggling to understand my status as being positive for syphilis. I believe that I had I false positive due to discrepancies between lab results from my ob/gyn lab and the city clinic lab.
Let me explain; I was first diagnosed as positive for syphilis after getting my STD blood work done at my OB/GYN office in early September 2014. After receiving this news I was treated a week after with a shot of penicillin G procaine.
Late September, early October I was paranoid about being positive and went to the city clinic to get tested again. The problem with this test was that it was a week or two after being treated so I really do not give this test any credibility. Nonetheless, they told me the results were a false positive.
Seven months later ( April 2015) I get my STD blood work done again. My OB/GYN calls and lets me know everything is normal.
February 2016 I get my STD blood work done again. This time my OB/GYN calls and tells me I have syphilis again. I let my partner (not-exclusive) know the news and we think it is because he never went to get tested when I told him about my first positive result back in 2014. We stopped using protection in April 2015. I do not get treated because I wanted to get tested at the city clinic to be double sure it was positive. We both get tested at the city clinic and we both come back negative.
Frustrated that it is not clear across the board, I go to my primary doctor (late April/March 2016) and show her my lab results hoping to hear it is a false positive but she did not have any answers for me. So she refers me to an infectious disease specialist. I go to the specialist (March 2016) and do not really learn anything new. She was surprised that my T. Pallidum ABS went from Positive to Negative but did not have an explanation for me as to why/how that could happen. She told me syphilis is a tricky disease to diagnose and to get my blood work done again with different confirmatory tests in about 4-5 months. So that is still a month away. Now I turn to any online help that will bring clarity to my situation. I will still get my follow-up blood work.
I tried to include my lab results below...
Please help!
Date Test Result Units Other
9/04/2014 Treponema Pallidum ABS Positive Abnormal
Reference Range: Negative
9/03/2014 RPR, Quant W/RFLX 1:4 Dilutions Abnormal
9/03/2014 RPR, QL (Reflex QT + TPPA) Reactive Abnormal
9/10/2014 Treated for Syphilis: Shot of penicillin G procaine
4/17/2015 Treponema Pallidum ABS Negative
Reference Range: Negative
4/16/2015 RPR, Quant W/RFLX 1:4 Dilutions Abnormal
4/16/2015 RPR, QL (Reflex QT + TPPA) Reactive Abnormal
2/24/2016 Treponema Pallidum ABS Negative
Reference Range: Negative
2/23/2016 RPR, Quant W/RFLX 1:8 Dilutions Abnormal
Reference Range: NR
2/23/2016 RPR, QL (Reflex QT + TPPA) Reactive Abnormal
Reference Range: NR
Test from city clinic:
2/25/2016 EIA Non Reactive
I have been struggling to understand my status as being positive for syphilis. I believe that I had I false positive due to discrepancies between lab results from my ob/gyn lab and the city clinic lab.
Let me explain; I was first diagnosed as positive for syphilis after getting my STD blood work done at my OB/GYN office in early September 2014. After receiving this news I was treated a week after with a shot of penicillin G procaine.
Late September, early October I was paranoid about being positive and went to the city clinic to get tested again. The problem with this test was that it was a week or two after being treated so I really do not give this test any credibility. Nonetheless, they told me the results were a false positive.
Seven months later ( April 2015) I get my STD blood work done again. My OB/GYN calls and lets me know everything is normal.
February 2016 I get my STD blood work done again. This time my OB/GYN calls and tells me I have syphilis again. I let my partner (not-exclusive) know the news and we think it is because he never went to get tested when I told him about my first positive result back in 2014. We stopped using protection in April 2015. I do not get treated because I wanted to get tested at the city clinic to be double sure it was positive. We both get tested at the city clinic and we both come back negative.
Frustrated that it is not clear across the board, I go to my primary doctor (late April/March 2016) and show her my lab results hoping to hear it is a false positive but she did not have any answers for me. So she refers me to an infectious disease specialist. I go to the specialist (March 2016) and do not really learn anything new. She was surprised that my T. Pallidum ABS went from Positive to Negative but did not have an explanation for me as to why/how that could happen. She told me syphilis is a tricky disease to diagnose and to get my blood work done again with different confirmatory tests in about 4-5 months. So that is still a month away. Now I turn to any online help that will bring clarity to my situation. I will still get my follow-up blood work.
I tried to include my lab results below...
Please help!
Date Test Result Units Other
9/04/2014 Treponema Pallidum ABS Positive Abnormal
Reference Range: Negative
9/03/2014 RPR, Quant W/RFLX 1:4 Dilutions Abnormal
9/03/2014 RPR, QL (Reflex QT + TPPA) Reactive Abnormal
9/10/2014 Treated for Syphilis: Shot of penicillin G procaine
4/17/2015 Treponema Pallidum ABS Negative
Reference Range: Negative
4/16/2015 RPR, Quant W/RFLX 1:4 Dilutions Abnormal
4/16/2015 RPR, QL (Reflex QT + TPPA) Reactive Abnormal
2/24/2016 Treponema Pallidum ABS Negative
Reference Range: Negative
2/23/2016 RPR, Quant W/RFLX 1:8 Dilutions Abnormal
Reference Range: NR
2/23/2016 RPR, QL (Reflex QT + TPPA) Reactive Abnormal
Reference Range: NR
Test from city clinic:
2/25/2016 EIA Non Reactive
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hi, when ever a first test shows postive for syphilis a second different test is performed to confirm. Usually the first test detects antibodies which can remain for life but only means the person was exposed at one time or it was indeed a false positive in the begining.
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Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
