[Screening for syphilis: resulted of a study of 25 000 neonates in Lower Saxony (author's transl)].

The Treponema pallidum haemagglutination test (TPHA) was used to demonstrate syphilis antibodies in filter paper-dried whole blood from 25 000 neonates in Lower Saxony. Syphilis antibodies were demonstrated in the blood of 48 children, these positive results being confirmed by further tests. There were 12 recent syphilis infections. It is recommended that determination of syphilis antibodies by the TPHA test be added routine to the tests for congenital metabolic disorders. The large number of positive findings, the almost negligible additional work, as well as the information value for epidemiological studies on syphilitic infections, support this suggestion.