questions about syphilis

[sheeba88]

Say if an individual has undiagnosed non symptomatic or symptomatic neurosyphilis, Would an FTA-ABS and TPPA ‘BLOOD’ test be accurate in detecting the Syphilis germs in the blood,  (rather than performing a spinal fluid test),  How accurate would this test be in this situation? Would syphilis show up in a blood test of a person with neurosyphilis.

I know that neurosyphilis can only be diagnosed by a spinal fluid test, assuming that the person has undiagnosed neurosyphilis, would the Blood Work of FTA ABS and TPPA be accurate in finding Syphilis (if the person has hidden neuro syphilis) any false negatives ?

If a person is in the Tertiary Stage of syphilis, how accurate is FTA ABS and TPPA blood work? (I read the RPR goes negative, is this the case with these other tests?)   same question for late latent syphilis please.

Basically I want to know does syphilis show up in the blood of a person with neurosyphilis or tertiary syphilis. And how accurate percentage wise these blood works would be (FTA ABS TPPA?)

When syphilis is in the early latent to its very latest stage , and the titre lowers to negative on the RPR (if infected), what tests are best in this situation?

If a spinal fluid test shows positive for neurosyphilis, then would a normal blood test of FTA ABS or TPPA reveal syphilis as well (how accurate would a positive blood test be in correlation with an individual that has neurosyphilis , or for that matter tertiary) i have been doing some research and cant seem to find the answer

[Icah]

A related discussion, my test results was started.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Your question has nothing to do with the answers or their content.  I am a doctor and I write out my answers myself.  

This will end this thread.  eWH

[sheeba88]

P.s. are you a doctor yourself that typed out that answers? or is it an assistant of Dr that responded etc. thank you for the responses - they were greatly appreciated so much!!!! Happy holidays

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Taking antibiotics or other medicines at the time of testing has no effect on the test results for syphilis.  EWH

[sheeba88]

P.s. are you a doctor yourself that typed out that answers? or is it an assistant of Dr that responded etc. thank you for the responses - they were greatly appreciated so much!!!! Happy holidays

[sheeba88]

thank you doctor, just one final last question, do antiobiotics or any any other prescription drugs or pills affect the outcome of any std test, including the confirmatory syphilis tests.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

A test of spnal fluid would not reliabley detect any stage of syphilis that was not neurosyphilis.  EWH

[sheeba88]

thank you for the reply doctor, say if it was switched around and only a spinal test is done with no bloodwork, and say the person does not have neurosyphilis , but just normal syphilis in either latent or tertiary stage, how accurate would that spinal test be for detecting the non neurpsyphilis, syphilis germ. And for my previous questions, can you give me the accuracy rate for the treponemal tests in those situations. thanks

[Edward W Hook, MD]

You have asked the same question 4 or 5 times, all of which wonder if when a person has either neurosyphilis or late syphilis (tertiary or late latent) how good are blood tests for detecting it. The answer is that there are two general kinds of blood tests for syphilis.  One type of blood tests are called NONTREPONEMAL tests and include the RPR And VDRL tests.  These tests may occasionally but not often be negative in someone with advanced neurosyphilis, tertiary syphilis or late latent syphilis.  On the other hand, the second type of blood tests, called TREPONEMAL tests and which include the FTA-ABS and TPPA are uniformly positive in persons with neurosyphilis, tertiary syphilis and late latent syphilis. I would not entertain or even consider the diagnosis of neurosyphilis or syphilis at all in someone with negative treponemal tests.

Hope this comment is helpful.  EWH