Will syphilis test be negative after treatment?

[Yuki961004]

Hi there! Just curious, if I am infected syphilis and get successfully cured, will I always test positive on this test? I have been well informed about the difference between treponemal tests and non-treponemal ones. I just wonder, if I am positive on TPPA test, and negative on RPR (after treatment) or VDRL test, what result will the clinic report? I live in the UK.

[auntiejessi]

Some people will test positive, others won't. There is no way to know.

Do you mean what will the clinic report to you? Or to the officials? It would officially be a negative result because you are not currently infected. They know how to tell the difference. If your RPR or VDRL increased, that's that they'd look for to call it a new infection.

There are all kinds of combinations  - a 1:1 on an RPR, for example, and a negative TPPA, that can indicate a past infection. If that RPR later comes back as a 1:64, that would be a new infection, and would be reported as such. The 1:1 on the RPR and a negative TPPA wouldn't be. They might tell you about the 1:1, but none of your partners would need to be notified or anything.

Does that help?