This thesis brings together 118 published studies on the microbiology of sexually transmitted diseases resulting from work performed in the University of Edinburgh Department of Medical Microbiology between 1973 and 1995. The main aim of these studies was to improve microbiological aspects of the diagnosis and management of syphilis and gonorrhoea. The earliest publication on syphilis serology was the first to recommend the use of a specific treponemal antigen test, the <I>Treponema pallidum</I> haemagglutination assay (TPHA) for routine screening. As a result of this study a screening schedule comprising the Venereal Diseases Research Laboratory (VDRL) and TPHA tests was introduced into routine practice in late 1973. Soon the same screening schedule was widely adopted in the United Kingdom and Europe. Appreciating the importance of computerised and automation I validated and standardised a prototype commercial enzyme immunoassay (EIA) as a single serological screening test and demonstrated that this gave a performance comparable to screening with the VDRL and TPHA tests while being suitable for automation and electronic report generation. Screening for syphilis by EIA is now becoming widespread throughout Europe. Because false positive EIA reactions may also show reactivity in the FTA-abs test, immunoblotting was evaluated as a confirmatory test. The possibility of syphilis reactivation and loss of treponemal markers in patients co-infected with HIV were also studied.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:664155 |
| Date | January 1997 |
| Creators | Young, Hugh |
| Publisher | University of Edinburgh |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/1842/27730 |
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