High prevalence of HTLV-I and HTLV-II among blood donors in Argentina: A South American Health Concern

BIGLIONE MM; ASTARLOA L; SALOMON H; REFERENT HTLV-I/II ARGENTINA GROUP

AIDS RESEARCH AND HUMAN RETROVIRUSES

MARY ANN LIEBERT INC

Año: 2005 vol. 21 p. 1 - 4

0889-2229

Since HTLV-I endemic area had been disclosed in Jujuy -a northwestern province in Argentina, it was in order to detect other possible focus of HTLV-I/II that in 1997 we started a multicentric study to estimate the seroprevalence of HTLV-I/II including blood banks from different regions of the country. Out of 123,233 samples from nine different provinces, 68 resulted seropositive with a final prevalence of 0.05 % (95 % CI= 0.0432-0.0704 %). The seroprevalence ranged from 0,03 to 0,16% depending on the geographical location. An HTLV-I (odds ratio (OR) 12.7, 95% confidence interval (CI), 3.43-47.60) prevalence significantly greater was found in the northwest (Salta  Province) and a non significant but higher prevalence of HTLV-II in the North (Chaco). Two (0.001%) of the seropositive blood donors reported risk factors due to receiving transfusions and 19 (0.01%) of them were being born in HTLV-I/II South American endemic areas. Although Argentina appears as a non-endemic country for HTLV-I/II, with exception with the exception of northern provinces, but according to the present study o countrywide blood banks, the need of systematic screening for such infection is imperative.