The Frei test has been the subject of much discussion, and clinical studies tend to question its value in the diagnosis of lymphogranuloma venereum. On one hand there is evidence1 to suggest that there may be false positive (cross) reactions in the presence of other venereal diseases. From another point of view, the value of the test in determining whether a given clinical lesion of one or another type is due to this disease is largely vitiated by the demonstrated fact that once infection has occurred, sensitivity of the skin (and a positive reaction to a Frei test) apparently persists for the remainder of the patient's life. These two considerations render the Frei test of limited diagnostic usefulness, at least in our hands.
Nevertheless, the test with one or another modification continues to be widely used. Practical difficulty in its application on a large scale has been generally encountered