酶联免疫吸附法检测与甲苯胺红不加热血清试验在梅毒检验中应用价值的比较

目的探讨酶联免疫吸附法(ELISA)检测与甲苯胺红不加热血清试验(TRUST)在梅毒检验中应用价值。方法回顾分析260例梅毒患者,均应用ELISA法与TRUST法检测血清梅毒螺旋体,比较梅毒螺旋体检出率,并分析其敏感性及特异性。结果 ELISA法对梅毒螺旋体检出率为95.8%(249/260),显著高于TRUST法64.6%(168/260),比较具有统计学差异(P0.05);ELISA法诊断梅毒螺旋体的特异性为35.4%(92/260),阳性预测值为59.7%(249/417),阴性预测值为89.3%(92/103),准确率为65.6%(341/520)。结论 ELISA法对梅毒螺旋体检出率较高,可作为大样本梅毒筛查检验,值得临床选择。     

Expression of CXCL2 in the Serum and Cerebrospinal Fluid of Patients with HIV and Syphilis or Neurosyphilis

The potential mechanisms for blood–brain barrier damage and the diagnosis of neurosyphilis in HIV patients co-infected with syphilis (HIV-S) are unclear. The aim of the study was to determine the expression of CXCL2 in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of HIV-S patients. A total of 34 HIV patients and 7 controls were enrolled in a HIV clinical cohort for diagnosis of neurosyphilis in Taiwan. Serum and CSF concentrations of CXCL2 were determined by ELISA. Neurosyphilis was defined as a CSF white blood cell count of ≧20 cells/μl or a reactive CSF Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL). Demographics and medical histories were collected. All the patients with HIV-S were males. Most (80 %) had sex with men (MSM) and serum rapid plasma reagin (RPR) titers of ≧1:32. The medium age was 37 (range 21–68)?years. The medium CD4 T cell counts at the time of the diagnosis of syphilis were 299 (range 92–434)?cells/μl. Eight patients (24 %) had neurosyphilis based on a reactive CSF VDRL test (n?=?5) or increased CSF white blood cell counts of ≧20 cells/μl (n?=?3). The concentrations of CSF CXCL2 were significantly higher in patients with HIV and neurosyphilis as compared to HIV with syphilis, HIV, and controls (p?=?0.012). There were no significant differences in serum concentrations between the four groups. There was a correlation between CSF CXCL2 concentrations with neurosyphilis (p?=?0.017), CSF white blood cell count (p?=?0.001), and CSF protein levels (p?=?0.005). The CSF level of CXCL2 can be used to distinguish those with or without neurosyphilis in HIV infected patients.     

Use of Synthetic Cardiolipin and Lecithin in the Antigen Used by the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory Test for Serodiagnosis of Syphilis

The Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) test is a microflocculation test for syphilis that uses an antigen containing cardiolipin, lecithin, and cholesterol. For more than 50 years, the preparation of natural cardiolipin and lecithin for this test has been based on the Pangborn method which involves isolating and purifying these components from beef hearts. This process is tedious and time-consuming and results in a variable purity range. In our studies, we found that a VDRL antigen using synthetic tetramyristoyl cardiolipin and synthetic 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (lecithin) was as specific in detecting syphilis as a VDRL antigen made with natural components. In 85% of the cases, we obtained an endpoint titer of 1/2 or 1 dilution more than a titer obtained with a VDRL antigen made with natural components. The use of these pure synthetic compounds, with a purity of 99%, would offer advantages in the standardization and stability of the VDRL antigen. Because this antigen is the basic ingredient in the preparation of nontreponemal reagents such as the rapid plasma reagin, toluidine red unheated serum test, and the unheated serum reagin, the use of this synthetic VDRL antigen should also increase the reactivity of these reagents.