Detection and analysis of blood donors seropositive for syphilis.

Background: The increasing incidence of syphilis worldwide has called attention to the risk of transmission by transfusion.

Aims: To determine the prevalence of active syphilis in blood donors and characterise the serological profile of syphilis-positive donors.

Methods: Samples positive for Treponema pallidum using the chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA) during blood donor screening from 2017 to 2018 were tested by the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) non-treponemal test and for anti-T.