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. 2022 Mar 9:9:844265.
doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.844265. eCollection 2022.

Prevalence and Risk Factors for Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus (HTLV) in Blood Donors in Brazil-A 10-Year Study (2007-2016)

Carolina Miranda  1 , Denise Utsch-Gonçalves  1 , Fabiana Chagas Camargos Piassi  2 , Paula Loureiro  3   4 , Isabel Gomes  5 , Maísa Aparecida Ribeiro  6 , César de Almeida-Neto  7 , Paula Blatyta  7 , Luiz Amorim  8 , Sheila Oliveira Garcia Mateos  8 , Edward L Murphy  9   10 , Brian Custer  9   10 , Anna Barbara F Carneiro-Proietti  6 , Ester C Sabino  11
Affiliations

Prevalence and Risk Factors for Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus (HTLV) in Blood Donors in Brazil-A 10-Year Study (2007-2016)

Carolina Miranda et al. Front Med (Lausanne). .

Abstract

It is unknown whether HTLV-1/2 prevalence has been stable or changing with time in Brazil. We present a 10-year (2007-2016) analysis of HTLV-1/2 infection in first-time blood donors from four blood banks in Brazil. The Brazilian blood centers participating in this multicenter Recipient Epidemiology and Donor Evaluation Study (REDS) are located in Recife in the Northeast and in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte located in the Southeast of the country. A previous REDS study using the same database from 2007 to 2009 showed that the prevalence per 100,000 donors was 222 in Recife, 83 in Belo Horizonte and 101 in São Paulo. From 2007 to 2016, HTLV-1/2 prevalence was calculated by year, blood center and birth cohort. Covariates included age, gender, schooling, self-reported skin color and type of donation. From 1,092,174 first-blood donations, in the general analysis, HTLV-1/2 infection predominated in females, donors over 50 years of age, black skin color and less educated. The average prevalence was 228 per 100,000 donors in Recife, 222 in Rio de Janeiro, 104 in Belo Horizonte and 103 in São Paulo. In the 10-year analysis, HTLV-1/2 prevalence was stable, but a trend was observed toward an increase in HTLV-1/2 infection among younger people (p < 0.001), males (p = 0.049), those with white skin color (p < 0.001), and higher education (p = 0.014). Therefore, this 10-year surveillance of the infection showed stable HTLV-1/2 prevalence overall but a trend toward increased prevalence among the younger and more educated donors despite Brazilian policies to control sexually transmitted infections being in place for more than 10 years.

Keywords: HTLV-1/2; blood donors; prevalence; risk factor; sexually transmitted infections.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
HTLV-1/2 prevalence in first-time donors per 100,000 donors per year and by blood center (2007–2016). Poisson model. Rio de Janeiro entered into the REDS study in 2012.
Figure 2
Figure 2
HTLV-1/2 prevalence by age and birth cohort. Dots and lines of differing color indicate birth cohorts as specified under the figure.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Prevalence per 100,000 donors per year and gender. There was a significant increasing trend for men (p = 0.049), Poisson model.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Prevalence per 100,000 donors per year and age group. There was a significant increasing trend for groups <20 years (p = 0.014), 20–29 years (p < 0.001), in the Poisson model.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Prevalence per 100,000 donors per year and education level. There was a significant increasing trend for HTLV-1/2-infected donors who studied less than high school (p < 0.001), up to high school (p < 0.001), and higher or more (p = 0.014), in the Poisson model.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Prevalence per 100,000 donors per year and skin color. There was a significant increasing trend for blacks (p = 0.023) and whites (p < 0.001) in the Poisson model.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Prevalence per 100,000 donors per year and type of donor. There was a significant upward trend for both groups, including community donors (p = 0.025) and donors of replacement (p < 0.001) in the Poisson model.
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