Evaluation of the passive particle agglutination test in the serodiagnosis and follow-up of syphilis.

We performed the present study to determine the rate of concordance of the fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test (FTA-ABS) and of the microhemagglutination assay for antibodies to Treponema pallidum (MHA-TP) with the passive particle agglutination test (TP.PA) in patients with early syphilis and to observe the reactivity of the rapid plasma reagin (RPR), MHA-TP, and the TP.PA tests for 1 year after therapy. The study included 449 people who were given therapy if they had syphilis and followed up for 1 year. The rate of concordance of the TP.PA with the MHA-TP was 98.4%, and it was 98.9% with the FTA-ABS. During follow-up, a significant decrease of antibodies was found in 56%, 26%, and 70% of the patients when using the RPR, the MHA-TP, and the TP.PA, respectively. The TP.PA seems to be an adequate routine assay for the diagnosis of syphilis, being as sensitive as the FTA-ABS test in primary syphilis and as useful as the RPR test in monitoring therapy.

Treating chancroid: summary of studies in southern Africa.

Recent studies undertaken in southern Africa and elsewhere indicate that many short or single dose treatments are available to treat chancroid. Erythromycin 500 mg three times a day for five days, ciprofloxacin 500 mg, sulphamethopyrazine 800 mg and trimethoprim 1000 mg or sulphametrole 3200 mg and trimethoprim 640 mg as single oral doses, or ceftriaxone 250 mg as a single intramuscular injection are all effective in treating the disease. The widespread use of these regimens largely depends on the accuracy of diagnosis, susceptibilities of local Haemophilus ducreyi isolates to antimicrobials, and financial considerations.