Reactions of extracts of Reiter treponeme with syphilitic and non-syphilitic human sera in the single radial haemolysis technique

SUMMARY. A single radial haemolysis (SRH) technique, using Reiter protein or Reiter lysate as the coating antigen, was investigated. Results obtained with syphilitic and presumed non-syphilitic human sera were compared with results obtained in the absorbed fluorescent treponemal antibody test (FTA-ABS), the Reiter protein complement fixation test (RPCFT), the Venereal Diseases Research Laboratory Slide test (VDRL) and the Cardiolipin Wasserman reaction (CWR). The SRH reaction, with either Reiter antigen, was more sensitive than any of the screening tests (RPCFT, VDRL and CWR) for detecting positive syphilitic antibodies. Although the SRH test used almost the same materials as the RPCFT, it was appreciably more sensitive for the detection of the group-specific antibodies in syphilitic human serum.