Seroprevalence and Demographic Determinants of Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Type 1 and 2 Infections Among First-Time Blood Donors--United States, 2000-2009

Abstract

The HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 prevalences among US blood donors has declined since the early 1990s. A higher prevalence of HTLV-2 in the west and southwest may be attributed to endemic foci among Amerindians.

Infection with human retroviruses other than HIV-1: HIV-2, HTLV-1, HTLV-2, HTLV-3 and HTLV-4

“…In North America, it is considered to be endemic in some groups of American natives, and also to have a high prevalence among IDUs in all parts the country. In a recent survey of blood donors in North America, a prevalence of 14.7 cases per 100,000 was observed [69]. HTLV-2 is also present in other non-endemic countries but with lower levels of prevalence.…”

“…In the USA, seroprevalence in blood donors is very low, ranging from zero to five cases per 100,000 [67][68][69], but rises in Afro-Americans or Hispanics. Europe is a low prevalence area, with rates in blood donors around 0.4 cases per 10,000.…”

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

“…In the United States, large-scale screening of blood donors has documented a low prevalence of HTLV-1, namely 5.1 per 10 5 first-time donors [21]. In a significant proportion of HTLV-1-positive cases, the donor either has links to an area of endemic infection or has a history of risk-related behaviors, such as injecting drugs [22].…”

“…From IDUs, HTLV-2 has infected members of the general U.S. population via sexual transmission. Nevertheless, HTLV-2 prevalence among U.S. blood donors is much lower at 14.7 per 10 5 first-time donors [21]. The most frequent risk factor for HTLV-2 in seropositive blood donors is previous sexual contact with an IDU [36].…”

Screening transplant donors for HTLV-1 and -2

“…2 Yet the notion of safety in "low prevalence" regions may be questionable. 15,16 Pockets of high HTLV-1 prevalence have been found in some countries, including the United States and the European Union, and decades of refugee migration and immigration have altered the makeup of many urban and regional populations. 4 In particular, the ongoing migration from the Middle East and Africa is likely to significantly alter the prevalence of HTLV-1/HTLV-2 in many European Union countries.…”