Treponema Pallidum
Hemagglutination (TPHA)

The Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) test is designed to identify syphilis infection, a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by a bacterium called Treponema pallidum. It is used to diagnose syphilis. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the bacteria Treponema pallidum. It is most commonly spread through the sexual route (through contact with a syphilis sore (chancre). Syphilis is easily treatable with antibiotics. However, it can cause severe health issues if left untreated and can be potentially fatal. Syphilis antibodies are the substances in the blood that are made by the body’s immune system in people who come into contact with the bacteria that causes syphilis. Non-treponemal antibody tests detect antibodies that are not specific to the Treponema pallidum bacteria that causes syphilis. Several methods of antibody blood tests may be used to detect a syphilis infection.