A clinico-serologic study of leprosy. I. Results of serologic tests for syphilis, including the Treponema pallidum immobilization test.

For many years it has been known that leprosy patients are prone to give positive reactions in the serologic tests for syphil is (STS) in common use. Badger (1) reviewed the literature on the subject up to 193 1. Since that time, several other studies have been made (2-5, 10, 12, 13, 15). almost all of them showing that reactions occur frequenty in STS's in the sera of patients with leprosy. some of which reactions have been presumed to be due to the leprosy itself. The present clinico-serologic study was undertaken to obser ve further the r eactivity of sera from patients with leprosy in various serologic tests for syphilis using different types of antigens, including a t reponemal antigen. To this end the following tests were chosen : (a) the quantitative Kahn Standard, representing tests with lipoidal antigens; (b) the Kolmer (cardiolipin) quantitative ' test, r epresenting complement~fixati on tests with cardiolipin-lecithin antigens ; and (c & d) the VDRL and Rein~Bossak slide flocculation quantitative tests, representing modern slide flocculation tests with cardiolipin~lecithin antigens. The Treponema pallidum immobili~ zation (TPI) tests, which demonstrates a kind of antibody due to syphilis different than the other tests (6, 9), was a lso included. The results obtained with the various tests were compared with each other and with clinical infonnation concerning the patients.