The use of only one type of serological test is insufficient for diagnosis; both nontreponemal and treponemal serological tests should be carried out in all clinically suspected cases.
Nontreponemal serological tests are amenable to being performed in the hospital laboratory setting, and if testing volume demands, syphilis screening using an approved test should be performed. However, a strict quality control program should be maintained to ensure reliability and reproducibility of the
tests.
If strict quality control cannot be met, it is prudent toobtain syphilis screening services from a reference laboratory.