Western Immunoblotting with FiveTreponema pallidumRecombinant Antigens for Serologic Diagnosis of Syphilis

• DOI: 10.1128/cdli.8.3.534-539.2001
• Publication Date: 2002-07-27T09:55:30Z
• Authors: Vittorio Sambri; Antonella Marangoni; Christina Eyer; Christine Reichhuber; Erwin Soutschek; Massimo Negosanti; Antonietta D'Antuono; Roberto Cevenini
• Keywords: Syphilis Serodiagnosis; Primary Syphilis; Concordance

Five immunodominant Treponema pallidum recombinant polypeptides (rTpN47, rTmpA, rTpN37, rTpN17, and rTpN15) were blotted onto strips, 450 sera (200 from blood donors, 200 syphilis patients, 50 potentially cross-reactive) tested to evaluate the diagnostic performance of Western blotting (recWB) in comparison with in-house whole-cell lysate antigen-based immunoblotting (wclWB) T. hemagglutination (MHA-TP) for laboratory diagnosis syphilis. None serum specimens donors or potential cross-reactors gave a positive result when evaluated by recWB, wclWB, MHA-TP. The evaluation immunoglobulin G immune response recWB patients different stages showed that rTmpA was most frequently identified antigen (95%), whereas only 41% reactive rTpN37. remaining recognized as follows: rTpN47, 92.5%; 89.5%; rTpN15, 67.5%. agreement between MHA-TP 95.0% (100% latent late disease), concordance wclWB 92.0%. overall 97.5% secondary 94.6 98.6% primary syphilis, respectively). sensitivity 98.8% specificity 97.1% reference method. These values slightly superior those calculated (sensitivity, 97.1%, specificity, 96.1%). With standard test, 98.9 99.3%, respectively. findings suggest five used this study could be substitutes antigens newly developed test is good, easy-to-use confirmatory method detection antibodies serum.