Abstract

Objective: Human T-cell lymphoma/leukaemia virus (HTLV-1) is a retrovirus implicated in transfusion-transmitted infection. The objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of HTLV-1 antibodies of blood donors and pregnant women in UNTH, Enugu, Eastern Nigeria and also compare the prevalence of HTLV-1 infection of blood donors and pregnant women. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on five hundred (500) informed consented participants. Three hundred (300) blood donors were recruited from the blood bank and two hundred (200) pregnant women from the antenatal clinic. The recruitment was done consecutively. Five milliliters (5mls) of blood was collected from each of the participants into a plain sterile bottle and allowed to clot. The serum obtained was stored at -20oC until required for analysis. The serum samples were then analyzed for antibodies to HTLV-1 using a one-step incubation double antigen sandwich Elisa kit (Diagnostic Automation, USA). Participants’ demographic characteristics and degree of exposure to the risk factors associated with HTLV-1 infection were captured using a questionnaire. Statistical analysis of results was done using computer software namely Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 17, Microsoft Access and Excel. Results: Of the 300 blood donors, 288 (96%) were males while 12 (4%) were females. The average age of the blood donors was 26.85 years (SD ± 8.52) while that of the pregnant women was 28.94 years (SD ± 4.17). The age group with the highest representation among the blood donors were those aged between 21 -25 years while that of the pregnant women were those between the ages of 26-30 years. Only 22.3% of the blood donors were above 30 years. Among the pregnant women studied, 36% was above 30 years. The result of the tests showed that only one respondent, a 31 year – old pregnant woman tested positive to HTLV-1 antibodies. Therefore, the seroprevalence of

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HTLV-1 antibodies among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in UNTH is 0.5%. None of the 300 screened blood donors tested positive to HTLV-1 antibodies. Hence, the seroprevalence of HTLV-1 infection among blood donors is zero percent (0%). Some of the sociodemographic risk factors of HTLV-1 infection found to be applicable to the 31 year- old woman that tested positive include; positive history of previous STDs, spontaneous abortions, high parity, low socioeconomic status, female gender and age above 30years. The pregnant women that participated in this study were more exposed to risk factors and behaviours associated with HTLV-1 infection than the blood donors. The majority of the pregnant women (17.5%) had contracted STDs and 80.5% did not use condoms/barriers. Five percent (5%) of the blood donors had history of previous STDs while 34.7% used condoms during sexual intercourse. Approximately the same percentage (96%) of blood donors and pregnant women had not been transfused previously. Conclusion: The small sample size and the low seroprevalence obtained in this study cannot statistically support the justification of routine and cost effective screening of blood donors and pregnant women for HTLV-1 infection. More prospective and multi-centered studies are required to determine the infectivity of HTLV-1 in blood donors and pregnant women in Nigeria.