Genital herpes and the FTA-ABS.

The fluorescent treponemal antibody-absorption test (FTA-ABS) was obtained on a series of 55 healthy men and women with documented recurrent genital herpes. In contrast to a previous report indicating that a significant number of these patients demonstrated a false positive FTA-ABS, the present series failed to confirm these findings. Of interest, however, was the high incidence of borderline FTA-ABS tests seen in both the control group and the group with herpes. The significance and use of the FTA-ABS are briefly discussed.