Seroprevalence of syphilis in apparently healthy students from a tertiary institution in Benin City, Nigeria.

The seroprevalence of syphilis in students from a tertiary institution in Benin City, Nigeria was investigated. Venous blood samples (5 mL) were collected from 214 apparently healthy students aged 19-38 years (118 males and 96 females) between February and October 2009 and the serostatus of syphilis determined qualitatively using the rapid plasma reagin test. Seropositive sera were confirmed using the Treponema pallidum hemagglutination test. The total seropositivity for syphilis was 15.4%, with a prevalence in males and females of 18.6 and 11.4%, respectively. This difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The highest prevalence was found for the 24-28-year-old age group, while the lowest prevalence was found for the 19-23-year-old age group, where no female tested positive. The results of this study show that the prevalence of syphilis infection among students in Benin City was high and is a public health concern. All persons, including voluntary blood donors, patients with sexually transmitted diseases, or those attending for routine medical checkups, should therefore be thoroughly screened for syphilis infection.