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The CSF‐FTA test and the significance of blood contamination
Author(s) -
Davis Larry E.,
Sperry Sally
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.410060116
Subject(s) - neurosyphilis , cerebrospinal fluid , syphilis , medicine , contamination , antibody , test (biology) , pathology , immunology , biology , ecology , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , paleontology
Although the fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA‐ABS) test has found wide application in the diagnosis of syphilis, the cerebrospinal fluid fluorescent treponemal antibody (CSF‐FTA) test is still controversial in the diagnosis of neurosyphilis. We found the CSF‐FTA test extremely sensitive to contamination with FTA‐ABS‐reactive blood at concentrations in CSF that could not be detected by visual inspection. Interpretation of a reactive test should be made with caution if red cells are present in CSF.