Abstract

Serological tests for syphilis gave more positive results in serving Gurkha (Nepali) soldiers from west Nepal than in those from east Nepal or in Gurkha recruits. The soldiers had served from four to 11 years. The source of their infection was not clear. Positive results were rather less common in black patients born in the tropics attending a genitourinary medicine in London and were similar to findings in blood donors in the West Indies. British born male patients attending a genitourinary medicine department in London had a much lower prevalence. Malay and Nepali women attending an antenatal clinic in Singapore had a higher prevalence of positive serological results than women attending an antenatal clinic in London. Nepalis, Malays, and black people born in the tropics continue to require serological screening.