Study Finds High HTLV-1 Prevalence Among Blood Donors in Nigeria
A cross-sectional study at the Federal Teaching Hospital in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria found that 24.6% of eligible blood donors tested positive for HTLV-1 antibodies. The study screened 93 donors using ELISA testing for anti-HTLV-1 IgM and IgG antibodies after initial exclusion of those positive for HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C. The findings raise significant concerns about transfusion-transmitted HTLV-1 infection and highlight the need for routine screening in the region.
A cross-sectional study conducted at the Blood Bank Unit of the Federal Teaching Hospital in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria identified a seroprevalence of 24.6% for HTLV-1 among 93 eligible blood donors, out of 300 initially screened. Anti-HTLV-1 IgM and IgG antibodies were detected using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Seropositivity was highest among donors aged 30–35 years, with IgM and IgG prevalences of 35.3% and 29.4% respectively in that age group. Married donors showed higher seroprevalence than single donors, and female donors recorded slightly higher rates than male donors across both antibody types. By occupation, artisans had the highest seroprevalence (37.5% for both IgM and IgG), followed by students, traders, and civil servants. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences among serological patterns at p ≤ 0.05. The authors conclude that the high prevalence poses a real risk of transfusion-transmitted infection and call for routine HTLV-1 screening to improve blood safety in the area.
What's missing
The study does not discuss confirmatory testing beyond ELISA (e.g., Western blot), which is typically required to confirm HTLV-1 seropositivity and rule out false positives — a notable limitation given the high reported prevalence. The study also does not address potential routes of transmission among donors or whether any donors were informed of or followed up on their results. The small, single-site sample of 93 donors limits generalizability to broader Nigerian or West African populations.
What different sources said
- bioRxivCenter
Seroprevalence of Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Type-1 (HTLV-1) Among Blood Donors at a Tertiary Hospital in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria
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