UAMS IMMUNOLOGY EXAM #5 | QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS | 2025/2026 UPDATE | WITH COMPLETE
SOLUTION!!
What is the ulcerative disease that facilitates the transmission of HIV and what
organism is it caused by? What is the term for its shape? Answer - Syphilis,
caused by Treponema pallidum. Spirochetes
What is the transmission for Syphilis? Answer - Usually sexual and congenital
via the placenta.
What is the physical indication of primary syphilis? What is the infectious
stage? Answer - Appearance of chancre, which is a painless superficial ulcer at
the inoculation site that heals spontaneously. Serum reactive within 1-3 weeks
after chancre appears. Spirochetes in chancre is infectious.
What characterizes the secondary stage of syphilis and when does this usually
appear? What is the infectious stage? Answer - Rash and fever with
spontaneous healing after several weeks, serology is almost always positive.
Appears 6-8 weeks after appearance of chancre. Spirochetes in rash is
infectious.
What characterizes the latent stage of syphilis? Answer - Usually no clinical
manifestations and may last for up to 30 years, serology is positive. Mother can
pass to baby during this stage in vertical transmission.
,What characterizes congenital syphilis? Answer - Intrauterine infection of the
fetus, likelihood of infection increases as pregnancy progresses, rhinitis and
rash present as clinical symptoms. The Hutchinson's triad appears - notches in
teeth, eye damage (keratitis), and deafness.
What characterizes the tertiary syphilis stage? Answer - Gumma lesions that
can affect any site but are most common in cardiovascular and CNS sites.
What is the fastest method of detection for syphilis? What is the slide
examined for? What method is not used? Answer - Darkfield microscopy is
used to look for corkscrew shaped microbes with flexing motility. Isolation
methods are not used.
What is fluorescent testing most commonly used for? What does direct
fluorescent use? What does indirect fluorescent use? Answer - Detection of
AGNs. Direct - Monoclonal ABY and material from lesion. Indirect - patient
specimen and ABY/Ig and ABY/TP
What is syphilis serology used for? Answer - Diagnostic tool.
What indicates the frequency of positive test results in patient WITH a
particular disease; detects true positives Answer - Sensitivity
What indicates the frequency of negative test results in patients WITHOUT a
disease; detects true negatives Answer - Specificity
What is the difference between screening lab tests and confirmatory lab tests?
Answer - Screening - non treponemal test use patient ABYs with reagin to
cardiolipin, don't test organism directly. Less expensive and easily performed.
Usually only helpful with sensitivity - can get many false positives.
, Confirmatory - treponemal test that tests organism directly; expensive and
harder to perform. Helpful with sensitivity and specificity - will help ID true
positives.
How is non treponemal screening test performed? Answer - Patient ABY with
reagin to cardiolipin as reagent. Flocculation is used which is a special
precipitation test that sediments out the AGN in very fine particles.
How are the results determined in a non treponemal screening test? When
does the peak titer occur? Answer - Results are pos within 1-4 weeks after
chancre appearance. Not all patients show pos in early primary and late stages.
Peak titer occurs during the secondary or early latent stages.
What are false negatives due to in secondary syphilis stages? Answer - The
prozone
After adequate syphilis treatment, what are test results? Answer - Test results
eventually become non reactive, which is used to monitor therapy
When can biological false syphilis positives happen? Answer - Can happen is
patient has another infectious disease such as TB, HIV, measles, or mono, can
happen if patient has other non infectious conditions such lymphoma,
autoimmune diseases, or drug addiction, and can also happen if patient is
pregnant.
What was developed in 1946 and was first suitable for mass screening? What is
this a primary test for? What is the reagent AGN? What is different with
modified VDRL? What is the reagent for modified VDRL? Answer - Venereal
disease research laboratory or VDRL. Primary test for CSF. Reagent AGN is
cardiolipin, lecithin, and cholesterol. Modified VDRL can't test CSF. Modified
VDRL reagent is cardiolipin, lecithin, cholesterol, choline, and charcoal.
ANSWERS | 2025/2026 UPDATE | WITH COMPLETE
SOLUTION!!
What is the ulcerative disease that facilitates the transmission of HIV and what
organism is it caused by? What is the term for its shape? Answer - Syphilis,
caused by Treponema pallidum. Spirochetes
What is the transmission for Syphilis? Answer - Usually sexual and congenital
via the placenta.
What is the physical indication of primary syphilis? What is the infectious
stage? Answer - Appearance of chancre, which is a painless superficial ulcer at
the inoculation site that heals spontaneously. Serum reactive within 1-3 weeks
after chancre appears. Spirochetes in chancre is infectious.
What characterizes the secondary stage of syphilis and when does this usually
appear? What is the infectious stage? Answer - Rash and fever with
spontaneous healing after several weeks, serology is almost always positive.
Appears 6-8 weeks after appearance of chancre. Spirochetes in rash is
infectious.
What characterizes the latent stage of syphilis? Answer - Usually no clinical
manifestations and may last for up to 30 years, serology is positive. Mother can
pass to baby during this stage in vertical transmission.
,What characterizes congenital syphilis? Answer - Intrauterine infection of the
fetus, likelihood of infection increases as pregnancy progresses, rhinitis and
rash present as clinical symptoms. The Hutchinson's triad appears - notches in
teeth, eye damage (keratitis), and deafness.
What characterizes the tertiary syphilis stage? Answer - Gumma lesions that
can affect any site but are most common in cardiovascular and CNS sites.
What is the fastest method of detection for syphilis? What is the slide
examined for? What method is not used? Answer - Darkfield microscopy is
used to look for corkscrew shaped microbes with flexing motility. Isolation
methods are not used.
What is fluorescent testing most commonly used for? What does direct
fluorescent use? What does indirect fluorescent use? Answer - Detection of
AGNs. Direct - Monoclonal ABY and material from lesion. Indirect - patient
specimen and ABY/Ig and ABY/TP
What is syphilis serology used for? Answer - Diagnostic tool.
What indicates the frequency of positive test results in patient WITH a
particular disease; detects true positives Answer - Sensitivity
What indicates the frequency of negative test results in patients WITHOUT a
disease; detects true negatives Answer - Specificity
What is the difference between screening lab tests and confirmatory lab tests?
Answer - Screening - non treponemal test use patient ABYs with reagin to
cardiolipin, don't test organism directly. Less expensive and easily performed.
Usually only helpful with sensitivity - can get many false positives.
, Confirmatory - treponemal test that tests organism directly; expensive and
harder to perform. Helpful with sensitivity and specificity - will help ID true
positives.
How is non treponemal screening test performed? Answer - Patient ABY with
reagin to cardiolipin as reagent. Flocculation is used which is a special
precipitation test that sediments out the AGN in very fine particles.
How are the results determined in a non treponemal screening test? When
does the peak titer occur? Answer - Results are pos within 1-4 weeks after
chancre appearance. Not all patients show pos in early primary and late stages.
Peak titer occurs during the secondary or early latent stages.
What are false negatives due to in secondary syphilis stages? Answer - The
prozone
After adequate syphilis treatment, what are test results? Answer - Test results
eventually become non reactive, which is used to monitor therapy
When can biological false syphilis positives happen? Answer - Can happen is
patient has another infectious disease such as TB, HIV, measles, or mono, can
happen if patient has other non infectious conditions such lymphoma,
autoimmune diseases, or drug addiction, and can also happen if patient is
pregnant.
What was developed in 1946 and was first suitable for mass screening? What is
this a primary test for? What is the reagent AGN? What is different with
modified VDRL? What is the reagent for modified VDRL? Answer - Venereal
disease research laboratory or VDRL. Primary test for CSF. Reagent AGN is
cardiolipin, lecithin, and cholesterol. Modified VDRL can't test CSF. Modified
VDRL reagent is cardiolipin, lecithin, cholesterol, choline, and charcoal.
