pˈeɪʃənt sˈɛɹəm ɪz mˈɪkst wɪð ɐn ɐbsˈoːɹbənt ðə "ˈæbz" pˈɑːɹt ʌvðə tˈɛst kəntˈeɪnɪŋ ɐn ˈɛkstɹækt əvə nˈɑːnpˌæθoʊdʒˈɛnɪk tɹˈɛpoʊnˌiːm, tɹˈɛpoʊnmə fˈeɪdʒdɛniz bˌaɪoʊtˈaɪp ɹˈiːɾɚ.
Patient serum is mixed with an absorbent (the "ABS" part of the test) containing an extract of a non-pathogenic treponeme, Treponema phagedenis biotype Rieter.