Routine screening of hospital blood samples for syphilis. A pilot study in Mount Isa, Queensland.

During a seven-month study, 4005 blood samples taken for haematological investigations at the Mount Isa Base Hospital, Queensland, were routinely screened for syphilis. Two hundred and twenty-nine of these yielded serological evidence of syphilis. One hundred and eighty-eight persons were either aware of, or had recorded evidence of, previous infection. Serological evidence of hitherto unsuspected syphilis was found in 24 persons. Seventeen persons with serological evidence of syphilis, but without a recorded history of the disease, could not be contacted. The relatively high prevalence (1%) of undetected syphilis in this population sample led to the continuation of routine screening at Mount Isa Base Hospital. Hospitals which serve towns with similar demographic profiles may find routine screening for syphilis of all blood samples, taken for unrelated investigations, a useful procedure.