Seroepidemiology of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type-I in blood donors of Northeastern Iran, Sabzevar

Abstract

Background and Objectives:Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type-I (HTLV-I) infection is considered as a public health challenge in endemic areas. The virus is associated with severe diseases, such as adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma, and HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis. One of the major routes of the HTLV-I transmission includes blood transfusion. Sabzevar is located in the endemic region of HTLV-I infection. The aim of the present study was to determine the seroprevalence of HTLV-I infection in the blood donors in Sabzevar.Materials and Methods:A total of 35,067 blood donors in Sabzevar from March 2009 to April 2012 who were screened with HTLV-I on the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay screening test were included in this survey. Reactive samples that confirmed by western blot were considered to be seropositive cases. The required data were obtained from blood donors’ database of blood transfusion service.Results:The overall prevalence of HTLV-1 based on the positive result of western blot test was 0.14%. The seropositive donors aged 17–59 years with a mean age of 38.10 ± 11.82. The prevalence rates of HTLV-I infection in 3 years of study were 0.19%, 0.14%, and 0.09%, respectively. A significant relation between age, sex, educational level, and history of blood donation was observed with seropositivity of HTLV-I.Conclusion:The improvement of donor selection and laboratory screening caused a decline in the prevalence of infection in blood donors. Given the lower prevalence of infection in regular donors with lower age and higher educational level, more efforts should be done to attract blood donors from these populations.

Updates on the Epidemiology of the Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus Type 1 Infection in the Countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office of the World Health Organization with Special Emphasis on the Situation in Iran

“…Similarly, Emadi et al reported an HTLV-1 prevalence in 4 per 100,000 among 263,465 blood donors aged between 18 and 25 years old, while 66 per 100,000 donors of 46 to 65 years old [51]. Conversely, some studies with considerable sample sizes (from 407 to 35,067 individuals) reported no significant relationship between participants' age and the infection rate [23,36,47,54]. An age-and sex-matched case-control study to assess the HTLV-1 risk factors among "firsttime" Iranian blood donors was performed during the period 2011-2012 [65].…”

“…These tests were performed among first-time and regular blood donors, and as a result, many surveys revealed a gradual decrease in HTLV-1 prevalence among Iranian blood donors from 0.13% in 2009 to 0.03% in 2018 (Table 1) [31,32,63]. A declining trend in the infection rate among blood donors was documented in Razavi Khorasan [41,42,45,47] as well as other provinces of Iran [48,51]. However, over time, no change was observed in the HTLV-1 infection rate among the general population of Razavi Khorasan province [21,26,30].…”

Human T-Lymphotropic Virus, Associated Myelopathy and Leukemia: A Review

“…The two clinical conditions are now categorized as severe human diseases of public health importance because of their associated severe immunosuppression and resistance to chemotherapy (Jamilii et al, 2015), and until now there is no known cure or protective vaccine available. In an effort to contain the situation, the Global Virus Network in 2014, launched a taskforce to promote basic research, develop new methods of prevention and treatment modalities including new public health preventive measures.…”

Infection with human T-lymphotropic virus types-1 and -2 (HTLV-1 and -2): Implications for blood transfusion safety

“…In northeastern Iran, 0.14% of blood donors were found to be seropositive for HTLV-1 [30]. Surveys in southern India and Indonesia have identified some HTLV-1-positive cases; in the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, HTLV-1 is highly endemic (> 15%).…”