Diagnosis of Syphilis
A doctor will carry out thorough physical examinations and ask about the person’s sexual history before carrying out clinical test. Tests include:
Blood Tests
His or her blood sample is collected to run tests. Blood tests can confirm the presence of antibodies that the body produces to fight the infection. The antibodies to Treponema pallidum remain in the body for years do the test can be used to determine a current or past infection.
Bodily Fluid
A doctor can carry test on fluid from a chancre during the primary or secondary stage.
Cerebrospinal Fluid
This test is carried out when doctors suspect a person is having nervous system problems because of tertiary syphilis. A sample of cerebrospinal fluid is collected through a lumbar puncture or spinal tap and get tested.
Pregnant women should be screened for syphilis because the bacteria can be in the body without her knowing anything about it. This is to prevent the fetus from getting infected with congenital syphilis. Congenital syphilis can be life-threatening to newborn babies. Mothers infected with syphilis are at risk of having miscarriages, still births or premature births.
After a person receives a diagnosis of syphilis, they must notify their sexual partners so they should get tested, too.