This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Angelo T. Scotti, MD; Dan M. Mackey, MD; John R. Trautman, MD

Arch Dermatol. 1970;101(3):328-330.

Abstract
Of 206 leprosy patients, 40% (82) were found to have reactive nontreponemal tests for syphilis. Forty percent of these patients (33 of 82) were found to have reactive treponemal tests, either fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test (FTA-ABS), Treponema pallidum immobilization test (TPI), or both. It was concluded that at least 16% of the leprosy patients studied had some serologic evidence suggestive of a treponemal infection either in the past or at present. Treponemal diseases may be common among leprosy patients, and may account for some of the reactive serologic tests usually called biologic false positive BFP. The FTA-ABS test was found to be more frequently reactive than the TPI among those leprosy patients studied. The rapid plasma reagin (RPR) card test was rather insensitive but seemed more specific than the venereal disease research laboratory test for syphilis (VDRL). Question of false-positive FTA-ABS tests in some of these patients could be neither established nor disproved.

Author Affiliations
Rochester, Minn; Atlanta; New Orleans

From the Venereal Disease Program (Drs. Scotti and Mackey), National Communicable Disease Center, Public Health Service, Atlanta; and the US Public Health Service Hospital, Carville, La (Dr. Trautman). Dr. Scotti is now a fellow in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dr. Mackey is in private practice in Atlanta. Dr. Trautman is with the Venereal Disease Control Section, State Board of Health, New Orleans.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication Sept 24, 1969.

Reprint requests to Venereal Disease Program, National Communicable Disease Center, Atlanta 30333 (Dr. Scotti).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Syphilis and Leprosy
Murray
JAMA 1982;247:2097-2097.
ABSTRACT  

Epidemiology of Infectious Syphilis at a Tertiary Hospital
Drusin et al.
Arch Intern Med 1979;139:901-904.
ABSTRACT  

The Laboratory Diagnosis of Syphilis: New Concepts
JAFFE
ANN INTERN MED 1975;83:846-850.
ABSTRACT  

Society Transactions
Arch Dermatol 1971;103:540-559.
ABSTRACT