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Multicenter Study
. 2021 Jan 7;18(1):2.
doi: 10.1186/s12977-020-00546-w.

Seroprevalence of human T-lymphotropic virus infection among blood donors in China: a first nationwide survey

Le Chang  1   2 , Shanhai Ou  3 , Zhengang Shan  4 , Faming Zhu  5 , Huimin Ji  1   2   6 , Xia Rong  4 , Fei Guo  1   2 , Xinyi Jiang  1   2   6 , Huizhen Sun  1   2   6 , Ying Yan  1   2 , Lunan Wang  7   8   9
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Seroprevalence of human T-lymphotropic virus infection among blood donors in China: a first nationwide survey

Le Chang et al. Retrovirology. .

Abstract

Background: So far, the prevalence of human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV) type 1 and 2 in some highly populated countries such as China is still unknown. In this study, a multi-center nationwide serological survey was designed and performed, to reveal the seroprevalence of HTLV infection among Chinese blood donors.

Results: Among 8,411,469 blood donors from 155 blood establishments, 435 were finally confirmed as HTLV carriers. The prevalence of HTLV infection in China varied in different provinces: Fujian had the highest prevalence of 36.240/100,000 (95% CI 31.990-41.050) and eleven provinces did not find HTLV-seropositive donors in the three years. no HTLV-2 infection was found. The overall prevalence of HTLV-1 in China decreased from 2016 to 2018. Female was identified as an independent risk factor of HTLV infection in China. Besides, seroconversion was observed in two of seven seroindeterminate donors 85 and 250 days after their last donation, respectively.

Conclusions: The seroprevalence of HTLV infection in most areas of China among blood donors is quite low, but it varies significantly in different geographic areas. Screening anti-HTLV-1/2 antibody and follow-up of serointederminate donors are essential to ensure blood safety especially in areas where we have found HTLV infected donors.

Keywords: Blood donor; Human T-lymphotropic virus; Seroprevalence.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Screening and confirmation algorithm of HTLV infection. *Since samples from Shenzhen were confirmed in National Center for Clinical Laboratories (NCCL), data of Shenzhen was not included in that of Guangdong province
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Distribution of HTLV seroprevalence among blood donors all over China. Different color represented different seroprevalence of HTLV infection. Two provinces in grey, Qinghai and Tibet, didn’t screen anti-HTLV-1/2 antibody during the 3 years
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The fluctuating seroprevalence of HTLV infection among blood donors in 2016 to 2018. All the data from provinces or cities with a confirmed HTLV-1/2 infection in the 3 years were shown. The nationwide prevalence of anti-HTLV-1/2 antibody gradually reduced from 5.016/100,000 in 2016 and 4.951/100,000 in 2017 to 3.469/100,000 in 2018
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