Syphilis is a disease that is transmitted through sexual contact. It is likely to be transmitted through all forms of sexual contact although some protection is offered by the barrier method of contraception. It is a bacterial infection. It is a treatable condition which can be cured using antibiotic medication. It is a condition that should be taken seriously because a failure to treat it in a timely manner could result in the infection affecting the brain, the heart and many other vital organs of the body with severe associated complications.
There are many different methods of testing for syphilis. Syphilis tends to produce a symptom known as a chancre. This is an ulcer which can form anywhere on the body of an infected individual. For syphilis these ulcers tend to be pain free. They may exist in the mouth, or in the genital area. Syphilis chancres are very potent when it comes to contagiousness and they are responsible for the spread of the disease from an infected individual to an uninfected individual. Another method of syphilis test is the test conducted on an individual's blood for the antibodies associated with syphilis. There are a few different methods of testing the blood for syphilis as well.
A syphilis test false positive is the situation where a person who does not have syphilis is diagnosed with syphilis based on the results of the test. There is something known as a biological false positive condition for syphilis. Some people may test positive for syphilis if they have some underlying medical condition such as lupus. However, for most people with a syphilis false positive test, there may be no logical reason behind the test appearing positive. When a person tests positive for syphilis during routine testing, the test is usually retried. The chances of this happening are increased when one considers the lack of symptoms in an individual who has tested positive for syphilis. The lack of symptoms is a clue that the individual might have had a syphilis test false positive.
When an individual is retested and comes back negative for syphilis, it is almost guaranteed that he or she does not have syphilis. This is because the accuracy of a negative syphilis test is higher than that of a positive syphilis test in general. A patient who has this conflicting report should consult a doctor for a proper medical opinion on the situation.