The Treponema pallidum hemagglutination

TPHA Blood. The Treponema pallidum hemagglutination (TPHA) test was carried out on 274 sera known to show biological false positive reactions to regain tests for syphilis. The Treponema pallidum immunization (TPI) and fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA-ABS) tests were non-reactive on all these sera. Thirty-one or 11.3% showed reactive results in the TPHA test. Sera from 267 people who had lepromatous leprosy were also tested in the TPHA test.

Fourteen sera were reactive in the TPHA, TPI, and FTA-ABS tests and were from people who had both syphilis and leprosy. Biological false positive reactions were shown by 26 of the leprosy sera, of which three, or 11.5% were also reactive in the TPHA test. A further four sera in the leprosy group were reactive only in the TPHA test. The active voice of the provided text, greatly reduced in length, would be:

The study discussed the possible cause of false reactive TPHA test results. The researchers concluded that if a person with no history or clinical signs of syphilis tests positive for both regain and TPHA, healthcare providers should send their serum for TPI and FTA-ABS testing to greatly reduce the chances of missing a syphilis diagnosis. The Treponema pallidum hemagglutination

What Are The Symptoms Of Syphilis Infection?

The TPHA symptoms depend upon what stage of syphilis the patient is. The first is the primary stage which occurs only after a period of 3 to 4 weeks after the person has contracted the bacteria. The initial symptoms begin with a small round sore that is seemingly painless. It can be transmitted if anyone comes in direct contact with the sore. During the secondary stage, the person may develop skin rashes and sore throat.

Other than these some may also have fatigue, weight loss, aching joints, and headache. The third stage of the disease is called the latent stage or the hidden stage. One may not find any noticeable symptoms at this stage, but the bacteria remain active inside the body. The last stage of the infection is called tertiary syphilis and is considered to be one of the most life-threatening stages. Some of the potential outcomes include memory loss, mental illness, blindness, etc.

How Is The Tpha Test Done?

The TPHA blood test is a simple blood routine and does not require any specific preparations. The lab technicians draw a sample for the test by injecting the needle into a vein in your arm. They later send it to the lab for further analysis. In the lab, they carry out the TPHA test procedure by using a test card with three wells.

They add 10μL of the patient’s serum sample in the first well. Then, they add 190 μL of the diluent and mix it using a micropipette.

In the second well 75μL of the control cells.

The test cells add 75μL in the third well. Then, diluted serum is added, 25μL on each well, and the contents are thoroughly mixed. The plate incubates for 45-60 minutes at room temperature away from direct sunlight. Running a positive and negative control along with the test serum is mandatory.

How To Interpret The Tpha Test Results?

The agglutination intensity of the TPHA test can greatly vary from – to 4, allowing for interpretation of its meaning. Understanding these cases gives a clear picture of the TPHA’s positive results.

Interpreting the positive results of the TPHA lab test could greatly reduce confusion.

1. It is 4+ if there is a uniform mat of the cells covering the entire well.

2. It is 3+ if most of the well is covered by a uniform mat of cells.

3. A lesser density mat surrounded by a slight ring(+2) is another scenario of a TPHA test positive

4. The mat greatly reduces in intensity and a denser ring surrounds it, having a distinctly open center.

If a small clear center is present and the cells have settled to a compact bottom, one can interpret the result as TPHA negative. If the TPHA test is negative or the results fall within the normal range, further investigation is not necessary. However, if healthcare providers obtain an intermediate positive result, they will prescribe MHATP and FTA-ABS tests.

Results and Interpretation:

Reactive (R): Reactive results may indicate an active, past, or successfully treated infection. The doctor should use a careful history of the patient, a physical examination, and pertinent laboratory results to make a diagnosis.

Confirm indeterminate results with the MHATP and FTA-ABS test.

Patients with leprosy, infectious mononucleosis, and connective tissue disorders may experience false-positive results with the highly specific TPHA test. To confirm, doctors should use the FTA-ABS test.

Quality Control

The test kit includes positive and negative controls for quality control. It is advisable to employ controls in the following instances:

• At least once a run
• At least once within 24 hours
• When changing the vial of reagent.

If the control is not showing expected results; the test is invalid (whatever be the test results).

Conclusion

If your test results come out to be positive for TPHA disease it is imperative to undergo the complete treatment. The TPHA-positive treatment requires you to complete the full antibiotics course even if the symptoms subside. Failing to do so can trigger a relapse.