Morgan O S, Smikle M F, Barton E N, Blattner W A
Department of Medicine, University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica.
J Assoc Acad Minor Phys. 1993;4(2):59-61.
The prevalence of antibodies to Treponema pallidum and Borrelia burgdorferi was investigated in Jamaicans with tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP). A significantly higher prevalence of reactive serologic tests for syphilis (STS) was found in TSP patients (35.0%) when compared with controls (14.5%; P < .001). Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) test titers less than 1:8 were obtained in 88.4% of reactive sera from patients and in all reactive sera of controls. The biologic false-positive rate was also significantly higher in TSP patients (P < .05). A higher frequency of a reactive STS was observed in TSP patients (P < .01) and controls (P < .001) more than 40 years of age. The prevalence of reactive serologic tests for syphilis in TSP patients younger than 40 years was also higher than in controls in this age group (P < .1). The prevalence of positive immunofluorescent antibody tests and enzyme immunoassay for antibodies to B burgdorferi was similar in sera of TSP patients (12.5%) and healthy controls (10%). However, none of the sera was positive by Western immunoblot. Leptospiral antibodies were not present in any serum tested. This study's data do not support an etiologic role for treponemal disease in tropical spastic paraparesis, but rather suggest that the high prevalence of reactive STS in Jamaicans is multifactorial.
对患有热带痉挛性截瘫（TSP）的牙买加人进行了梅毒螺旋体和伯氏疏螺旋体抗体的患病率调查。与对照组（14.5%；P <.001）相比，TSP患者中梅毒血清学反应性检测（STS）的患病率显著更高（35.0%）。患者反应性血清中88.4%的性病研究实验室（VDRL）检测滴度低于1:8，而对照组所有反应性血清的滴度均如此。TSP患者的生物学假阳性率也显著更高（P <.05）。40岁以上的TSP患者（P <.01）和对照组（P <.001）中，STS反应性的频率更高。40岁以下TSP患者梅毒血清学反应性检测的患病率也高于该年龄组的对照组（P <.1）。TSP患者血清（12.5%）和健康对照组血清（10%）中针对伯氏疏螺旋体抗体的免疫荧光抗体检测和酶免疫测定阳性率相似。然而，通过免疫印迹法检测，所有血清均为阴性。所检测的任何血清中均未发现钩端螺旋体抗体。本研究数据不支持螺旋体病在热带痉挛性截瘫中的病因学作用，而是表明牙买加人STS反应性高患病率是多因素的。
