Prevalence of Syphilis Infections Among Volunteer Blood Donors in Jinan Blood Center, China: A 15-Year Retrospective Study

BACKGROUND: Syphilis infections among volunteer blood donors increased rapidly in recent years. It is important to analyze the demographics of seropositive donor groups and help to recruit donors from low-risk population. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the syphilis prevalence among volunteer blood donors in Jinan Blood Center and give direction to blood recruitment. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among blood donors in Jinan, China. Socio-demographic data and blood donation testing data from January 2007 to December 2021 were extracted from the database of blood management software of Jinan Blood Center for analysis. All blood samples were screened by ELISA, and those anti-TP-positive samples were counted and analyzed by sex, age, educational background, occupation and blood donation times. Logistic regression was used to explore risk factors associated with syphilis infection. RESULTS: Totally 700,757 blood samples were collected in the study during 2007 to 2021, 2290 cases were detected anti-TP positive with a positive rate of 0.33%. Female, 35–44 years old, with a lower education degree, farmers and first-time donors were the high-risk subgroups. CONCLUSION: Consultation and identification of high-risk population groups should be improved. Measures should be taken to make the donor recruitment more professional and detailed.