FALSE POSITIVE SEROLOGIC REACTIONS FOR SYPHILIS

Abstract

In the past few years there has been a renewal of interest in false positive serologic reactions. Partly because of the increased number of tests performed as a routine on apparently nonsyphilitic persons, there is a better realization of the number of causes of false positive reactions. There are three main groups of such reactions: (1) those due to technical error, a relatively infrequent occurrence; (2) those reactions encountered in persistently false positive human serums resulting from the presence of a reagin-like component which has been demonstrated in various animal serums;¹(3) those positive serologic reactions which are found in patients with organic disease other than syphilis; they occur regularly in yaws, fairly constantly in leprosy and malaria and less frequently in many other diseases.²Further information and conclusive identification of those diseases causing positive reactions are particularly of clinical interest when the reactions are strongly positive and