Syphilis is an unpleasant sexually transmitted disease that is easily cured with antibiotics.
Syphilis during pregnancy can cause serious congenital malformations including fetal nerve damage, brain damage and in some cases stillbirth. There are several tests that either screen for syphilis or confirm the presence of the infection.
Screening tests for syphilis include rapid plasma regain (RPR) and venereal disease research laboratory (VDRL) tests. Both these screening tests check the blood, or in some cases spinal fluid, for the presence of an antibodyA protein immunoglobulin which is produced naturally by the body and is essential to the immune system by working to combat foreign bodies, germs or bacteria. They are produced by thelymphoid tissue and consist of different classes each of which is designed to fight specific antigens. They include agglutinins, bacteriolysins, opsonins and preciptin.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. called reagin. Since reagin is sometimes present in people who do not have syphilis the tests sometimes record a false positive. VDRL is less effective in identifying the presence of regain during the early and late stages of a syphilis infection.
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If the screening tests return a positive result a second test to confirm the presence of the infection will be performed. These tests use a sample of blood to detect antibodies to the syphilis infection. They include the fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA-ABS) test, the rarely used microhemagglutination assay (MHA-TP), and treponema pallidum particle agglutination assay (TPPA). These tests have difficulty detecting syphilis during the first three or four weeks of infection. A visual identification of the bacteria can be made with darkfield microscopy, which uses a special microscope to examine a sample of fluid or tissue from an open sore.
Not all doctors screen for syphilis during pregnancy. If you have had many sexual partners, are HIV positive or feel that you may be at risk of having syphilis you should request a test when you discover you are pregnant.
There are few, if any, risks associated with this test.
The tests are performed when your pregnancy is confirmed.
The laboratory will indicate whether you have tested positive for the antibody reagin and syphilis bacteria after the blood samples have been analyzed.
If you have tested positive for syphilis, your doctor will recommend a simple antibiotic treatment to cure the infection. Penicilin is most commonly prescribed during pregnancy. A follow up test will be performed to confirm that you have been cured.
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