Treponema (trepos meaning turn and nema meaning thread) pallidum is a member of the spirochete family having a characterized distinct helical shape. It is the causative agent of syphilis, an...
Tag: Sexually Transmitted Infections
Demonstration of Treponema pallidum Using Dark-Field Microscopy
Treponema pallidum is a thin, delicate, tightly wound spirochaete that cannot be seen in Gram-stained smears. So, dark-field microscopy is used to demonstrate the presence of motile Treponema...
The rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test is a macroscopic, nontreponemal flocculation card test used to screen for syphilis. Let’s first analyze the test name: Rapid: It is a rapid...
For a person to get an infection with HIV, they must have acquired the virus from external sources, the only external source is another human being infected with HIV. That human being can be his/her...
Neisseria is the only pathogenic gram-negative cocci (precisely diplococci). Two species of Neisseria cause disease in humans; Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Human beings are...
Tests to diagnose HIV infection can be divided into different categories: virus culture, antigen detection, detection of antibodies, and viral genome amplification (PCR). Sample Collection and...