Using an ultrasonicate of the Reiter treponeme as antigen the Reiter haemagglutination test (RHA) was evaluated as a serological test for syphilis. Comparison of the results of the cardiolipin Wassermann reaction, Reiter protein complement-fixation test, the fluorescent treponemal antibody-absurbed (FTA-ABS) test, the Treponema pallidum haemagglutination test (TPHA) (at dilutions of 1/16 and 1/80), and the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory test with those of the RHA showed that the RHA was

more »

... nsitive (85 * 8 7o) and agreed well (85 -8%) with the FTA-ABS test result. Simplicity, sensitivity, availability of the antigen, and the very low cost of this test support its use as a first-line screening test for syphilis. Reiter treponemes (seeding cultures received from Wellcome Company) were grown on Christiansen's'5 modification of Brewer's thioglycollate medium with the omission of agar and resazurin: trypticase 15 g,