Syphilis testing, do you know these methods?

Syphilis is an extremely harmful disease that is highly contagious. Once discovered, it must be detected and treated promptly. Many people do not understand the detection methods for syphilis and always miss the best time for treatment. In fact, there are many detection methods for syphilis, the most common ones include Treponema pallidum IgM antibody test, dark field microscopy, syphilis serology test, molecular biology syphilis test and cerebrospinal fluid examination.

1. Treponema pallidum IgM antibody test

Treponema pallidum IgM antibody testing is a new method for diagnosing syphilis that has only been available in recent years. IgM antibody is an immunoglobulin. Using it to diagnose syphilis has the advantages of high sensitivity, early diagnosis, and the ability to determine whether the fetus is infected with Treponema pallidum.

2. Dark field microscopy

Darkfield microscopy is a method of detecting Treponema pallidum. Dark field, as the name suggests, means there is no bright light under the microscope, which makes it easier to examine pale spirochetes. This is a pathogen test, which is of great significance for the diagnosis of early syphilis.

3. Syphilis serological test

Syphilis serological examination is of great significance for diagnosing secondary and tertiary syphilis, determining the development and recovery of syphilis, and judging the efficacy of drugs. Syphilis serological tests include non-treponemal serological tests and treponemal serological tests. The former is often used for clinical screening and determining the effectiveness of treatment, while the latter is mainly used for determination tests, but it cannot determine the effectiveness of treatment. Once you have syphilis, this test will be positive for life.

4. Molecular Biology Syphilis Test

PCR is polymerase chain reaction. Syphilis testing is to amplify selected spirochete DNA sequences from selected materials, thereby increasing the number of selected spirochete DNA copies, making it easier to detect with specific probes. Syphilis testing is thus performed to improve the diagnosis rate.

5. Cerebrospinal fluid examination

Patients with late syphilis who develop neurological symptoms and who have not responded to syphilis-removing treatment should undergo a cerebrospinal fluid examination. This examination is helpful for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of neurosyphilis.