Brief non-commercial sexual encounters among patrons of entertainment venues in Liuzhou, China.

Brief non-commercial sexual encounters among patrons of social venues are increasing in China, but whether these encounters increase syphilis risk is unknown. We surveyed and tested 797 men and women at randomly selected social venues in urban Liuzhou and three surrounding counties. The percent reporting recent non-commercial one-time sex ranged from 14.5% of county women to 24.8% of urban men. 2.4% of men and 3.7% of women had a positive rapid syphilis test. Men reporting non-commercial one-time sex were significantly more likely to have a positive rapid syphilis test than other men (7.4 vs. 0.9%). Among women, commercial sex was more strongly associated with syphilis than non-commercial one-time sex (6.0 vs. 0.7%). Recent one-time sex was common and associated with syphilis among men. Venue-based HIV/STI prevention methods may be warranted among persons who do not engage in commercial sex, but frequently engage in one-time sex.