Human T- Lymphotropic Virus Type 1 in Blood Donors from Babol County Blood Transfusion Center: A Pilot Study From Northern Iran

Background: Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection is a major health problem that effects a variety of endemic regions, including the Northeast of Iran. There is a lack of information about HTLV-1 prevalence among blood donors from Mazandaran province, Northern Iran. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of HTLV-1 infection among blood donors in Babol County, the most populated county in Mazandaran province with screening and confirmatory assays. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 503 blood donors. Serum samples from each blood donor were screened for HTLV-1 specific antibodies using the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Samples that were repeatedly reactive for HTLV-1 specific antibodies on serological screening were additionally confirmed by real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of HTLV-1 proviral DNA in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs). Results: Among 503 samples tested by serological enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), 13 samples (2.6%) were repeatedly reactive (i.e. on at least 2 of 3 occasions). All repeatedly reactive samples were examined for the presence of the HTLV-1 proviral DNA in PBMCs by real time PCR confirmatory test, of which 1 sample was positive, resulting in HTLV-1 prevalence of 0.2%. Conclusions: The present investigation contributes with new epidemiologic data reporting low prevalence rate for HTLV-1 among blood donors in Babol county of the Mazandaran province. Despite the low prevalence rate, the practice of screening of donated bloods in blood transfusion centers of Mazandaran province should be considered to decrease the risk of virus transmission in this region.