A Young Man Is Suspected of Having Syphilis

A young man is suspected of having syphilis.Which of the following tests does the nurse recognize as the one most commonly used for initial screening for syphilis as it yields information in the fastest way possible?

A) Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) testing for antibodies
B) A blood culture of the microorganism
C) A dark-field microscopy direct examination culture of a specimen of drainage from an active chancre
D) Fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA-Abs) testing for antibodies to treponema