TABLE 4.
German syphilis proficiency testing program 2000 to 2003: accuracy of test results for the most frequently used commercially manufactured VDRL and FTA-ABS IgM testsa
| Assay | Manufacturer | Qualitative testing
|
Quantitative testing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of participants | Correct results (%) | No. of participants | Correct results (%) | ||
| VDRL | AX | 31 (4.3) | 89.1 (15.0) | 30 (5.2) | 73.8 (15.3) |
| BN | 5 (1.0) | 93.8 (16.5) | 5 (0.5) | 56.7 (24.0) | |
| IS | 32 (6.7) | 88.3 (15.9) | 29 (7.0) | 71.1 (9.9) | |
| BB | 14 (2.7) | 81.5 (14.9) | 13 (2.5) | 72.7 (13.6) | |
| BW | 74 (7.7) | 91.7 (6.9) | 74 (9.6) | 73.6 (5.5) | |
| ZZ | 17 (4.2) | 88.1 (13.7) | 23 (6.9) | 65.8 (17.8) | |
| Total | 177 (13) | 89.6 (10.4) | 179 (20) | 71.1 (7.5) | |
| FTA-ABS IgM | AX | 29 (3.9) | 83.8 (14.2) | 19 (3.5) | 70.5 (13.7) |
| IS | 12 (3.8) | 89.7 (9.2) | 7 (2.5) | 69.8 (18.3) | |
| BA | 5 (1.4) | 92.4 (12.6) | 4 (1.6) | 75.2 (20.7) | |
| MA | 22 (3.3) | 79.8 (12.4) | 9 (2.1) | 48.9 (28.7) | |
| ZZ | 14 (3.8) | 74.3 (21.1) | 11 (2.6) | 58.9 (27.7) | |
| Total | 84 (11) | 82.3 (11.5) | 54 (8) | 64.9 (18.0) | |
a
Results are means, with standard deviations indicated in parentheses. AX, bioMerieux; BA, BAG; BB, Biokit: BN, Becton-Dickinson; BW, DadeBehring; IS, Innogenetics; MA, Mast; ZZ, other.