Main Entry: Maz·zi·ni test

Pronunciation: \mə-ˈzē-nē-\

Function: noun

: a flocculation test for the diagnosis of syphilis

Mazzini, Louis Yolando (1894–1973), American serologist. Mazzini began his career in medical research as a serologist in the department of bacteriology and pathology at Indiana University. Later he served for a number of years as chief of serology and bacteriology at the Indiana board of health. In 1947 he founded his own serodiagnostic laboratory that specialized in blood tests for syphilis. At the same time he was also on the faculty of the medical school at Indiana University. Starting in 1933 he began developing his own flocculation test for syphilis after experimenting with the Wassermann and other tests. The test that he developed possessed greater specificity and sensitivity than the others, especially in early and latent syphilis and neurosyphilis.