Syphilis case-finding in an Australian men's sauna club

A survey of 623 volunteers from a popular sauna club for homosexual men in Melbourne was carried out over a 12-month period. Blood samples were taken for serological tests for syphilis from each subject; in 114 (18.3%) of these, the test results were positive. Thirty-four subjects with positive test results (5.4%) had no previous history of syphilis. Follow-up was possible in 22 of these (64.7%), which resulted in 17 new cases of syphilis being detected and treated (a case incidence of 2.7%). Blood testing at sauna clubs patronized by homosexuals is a productive and cost-effective way of detecting asymptomatic syphilis in individuals at high risk of infection.