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BD provides a variety of reagents for syphilis testing, including Direct Immunofluorescent reagents, FTA-ABS Test reagents and VDRL Antigen.

Direct Immunofluorescent Reagents
These reagents are used for the direct immunofluorescent identification of Treponema pallidium. The direct immunofluorescent test uses fluoroscein-labeled T. pallidium antibody to directly stain smears prepared from fluid specimens. If the specimen smear contains T. pallidium antigen, a fluorescent complex is produced which is visible under UV light.

FTA-ABS Test
These reagents are used in the Fluorescent Treponemal Antibody Absorption (FTA-ABS) Test.
The FTA-ABS Test utilizes test serum that has been absorbed with a Reiter treponeme suspension to remove nonspecific antibodies. This absorbed serum, if it contains antibodies to T. pallidium, reacts with the T. pallidium antigen on a slide and the resulting antigen-antibody complex is available to react with fluorescein-tagged anti-human globulin. The antigen-antibody reaction is visualized by green fluorescence under UV light.

VDRL
The VDRL (Venereal Disease Research Laboratory) Syphilis Serology Reagents are used in qualitative and quantitative determination of syphilis.
The VDRL tests are based on the principle of antigen and antibody flocculation. Flocculation is the visible reaction which results from a combination of reagin (an antibody-like protein) in the serum of patients with the antigen, which is a mixture of cardiolipin, cholesterol and lecithin.