Prevalence of human T-cell lymphotropic virus I and II in Colombian blood donors, 2001-2014: Implications for transfusion safety.

INTRODUCTION: The human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) 1 and 2 cause various clinical disorders associated with degenerative diseases. Blood transfusion is a primary mechanism of transmission that is associated with the use of cellular components such as red blood cells. 

OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiology of HTLV 1 and 2 in blood donors in Colombia from 2001-2014. 

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed using screening, reactivity and positivity for HTLV 1 and 2 data collected from 2001 to 2014 by Colombian blood banks and consolidated by the Instituto Nacional de Salud. Using this information, transfusion-associated infectivity was also estimated. 

RESULTS: From 2001 to 2014, 60.2% of blood collected in Colombia was screened for HTLV 1 and 2 and had a cumulative reactivity of 0.30%. This was 20 times higher in Chocó (6.28%), where blood collection ended in 2004. Blood screening for HTLV reached 94.9% in 2014 with a positive concordance of 14.7%, and an estimated 406 unscreened, potentially infectious blood units were released. The majority of the unscreened blood units (215 units, 53%) came from Antioquia, a non-endemic department. 

CONCLUSION: These results suggest that HTLV 1 and 2 infections are distributed in different areas of the country that were not previously classified as endemic. These findings support the importance of the universal screening of blood units to minimize the risk of infection through transfusion for this event.