Comparison of RPR 'teardrop' card test, VDRL, and FTA-ABS test results on sera from persons with suspected yaws in Colombia

Abstract

A small study comparing results of the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) teardrop card test performed in the field, with results of Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) and fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA ABS) tests performed in the laboratory on venous blood specimens from the same suspected yaws patients was undertaken in Colombia in July 1975. The results suggest that the RPR teardrop card test may be used to screen for infectious, or potentially infectious, yaws patients under field conditions, but that it will not reliably detect patients with VDRL titers of 1:2 or less, or all patients in whom sera are reactive in the FTA ABS test.