Treponemal tests detect antibody to T pallidum proteins. Nontreponemal tests detect antibodies directed against lipoidal antigens, damaged host cells, and ...NCBISkiptomaincontentSkiptonavigationResourcesHowToAboutNCBIAccesskeysMyNCBISignintoNCBISignOutTryoutPMCLabsandtelluswhatyouthink.LearnMore.JournalListNeurolClinPractv.4(2);2014AprPMC4999316NeurolClinPract.2014Apr;4(2):114–122.doi: 10.1212/01.CPJ.0000435752.17621.48PMCID:PMC4999316PMID:27606153DiagnostictestsforsyphilisNewtestsandnewalgorithmsAndrésF.Henao-Martínez,MDandStevenC.Johnson,MDAuthorinformationCopyrightandLicenseinformationDisclaimerDivisionofInfectiousDiseases,UniversityofColoradoSchoolofMedicine,Aurora.Correspondingauthor.Correspondenceto:Email:ude.revnedcu@zenitramoaneh.serdnaTheviewsexpressedinthisarticlearethoseoftheauthoranddonotnecessarilyrepresenttheviewsoftheUniversityofColoradoDenver.Fundinginformationanddisclosuresareprovidedattheendofthearticle.FulldisclosureforminformationprovidedbytheauthorsisavailablewiththefulltextofthisarticleatNeurology.org/cp.Copyright©2014AmericanAcademyofNeurologyThisarticlehasbeencitedbyotherarticlesinPMC.SyphilisisasexuallytransmittedinfectioncausedbyTreponemapallidum.Atotalof13,106casesofprimaryandsecondarysyphiliswerereportedintheUnitedStatesin2011andtherateofinfectionhasincreasedinsubgroups,particularlymenwhohavesexwithmen.Thediseaseismainlydiagnosedthroughclinicalfindingsandserologictesting.However,nosingleserologictestofsyphilisissufficient.Hence,theserologicdiagnosisofsyphilisrequiresthedetectionof2typesofantibodies(nontreponemalantibodiesandtreponemalantibodies).Theparadigminsyphilistestinghasrecentlyshiftedinmanycenterstoscreenwithatreponemalantibodytest,reflexingtoanontreponemaltestifthetreponemalantibodytestispositive.Thisreverseofthetraditionalalgorithmmaynotbewidelyrecognizedamongclinicians.SyphilisisasexuallytransmittedinfectioncausedbythespirocheteTreponemapallidum.Syphilishasbeenamajorinfectioninmanthroughoutrecordedhistoryandhaschallengedclinici