A 30-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus is found to have a positive serologic test for syphilis (VDRL test). She denies having had sexual contact with a partner who had symptoms of a venereal disease. The next best step would be to:

  •  Reassure her that the test is a false-positive reaction related to her autoimmune disorder
  •  Trace her sexual contacts for serologic testing
  •  Perform a fluorescent treponemal antibody-absorbed (FTA-ABS) test on a specimen of her serum
  •  Treat her with penicillin