A patient in the sexually transmitted disease clinic has a positive Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) test, but no chancre is noted. The nurse will plan to send specimens for

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Since false positives are common with VDRL and RPR testing, FTA-ABS testing is recommended to confirm a diagnosis of syphilis. Gram staining is used for other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as gonorrhea and chlamydia and cytologic studies are used to detect abnormal cells (such as neoplastic cells).

A Patient in the Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic Has a Positive