Syphillis has long been a scourge of mankind. It is a sexually transmitted disease caused by Treponema pallidum, a spirochaete that cannot be cultured in vitro. Clinical symptoms include genital sores through which the organism gains access to the bloodstream and lymphatic system. In severe cases it can affect the skeletal and nervous system.
Two of the major antigens of this organism are p47, a major membrane lipoprotein, and the T. pallidum membrane protein A (TmpA). ViroStat has released new monoclonal antibodies to both p47 and TmpA. These new antibodies function in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and Western blot, and thus are important tools in research and immunoassay development.
