Results of a study to determine if patients attending sexually transmitted diseases (STD) clinics are at high risk to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are presented. The 206 patients who attended the STD clinic at the Maiduguri General Hospital consisted of 200 males and 6 females, most of whom were aged between 20 and 29 years and were single. Only one of the 206 serum samples (0.49%) was confirmed seropositive for HIV-1 antibodies. However, cultures from 143 of 174 swabs taken from the subjects yielded significant growth of which Staphylococcus aureus was the predominant isolate followed by Neisseria gonorrhoea. Antibodies to Treponema pallidum were also detected in 3.9% of the serum samples. This study shows that HIV-1 infection is relatively rare in Borno state of Nigeria. In spite of this, a well-planned health education campaign for STD patients is indicated if HIV infection is to be effectively controlled.