Prevalence of syphilis seropositivity in antenatal clinic clients in a teaching hospital in South-South region of Nigeria

Objective: To assess the seroprevalence of syphilis among women receiving antenatal care in University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Methods: Between July 2009 to March 2010, blood samples of 415 consenting clients submitted for prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) HIV screening programme were screened for syphilis antibodies using the Immunochromatographic ACON Ultra Rapid Syphilis Test Strip (ACON laboratory Inc. USA). Any positive result was repeated with another test strip (Diaspot Ultra Rapid Syphilis Test Strip, Diaspot Inc. USA). Results: Of the 415 samples, 9 (2.2%) were syphilis seropositive and 14 (3.4%) were HIV positive. Assessment of risk factors for syphilis revealed an observed trend with increasing parity though statistically not significant (P=0.268). More than half of the syphilis positive clients believed their spouses were promiscuous. Conclusions: There is still a substantial carriage of syphilis among antenatal clinic attendees in UUTH, Uyo. The need for routine screening is imperative. Point of care testing should conveniently be incorporated into the PMTCT programme. © 2011 Asian Pacific Tropical Medicine Press.