title: Human T-lymphotropic virus type I among blood donors from Guadeloupe: donation, demographic, and biologic characteristics.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Epidemiologic data on human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) in Guadeloupe (French West Indies) are scant.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January 1989 to December 1996, 59,426 blood donors were screened by enzyme immunoassay for antibodies to HTLV-I. All repeatedly reactive samples were confirmed by Western blot. Temporal trends in HTLV-I seropositivity rates were examined during the study period. A multivariate analysis of donation, demographic, and biologic characteristics was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the screened blood donors, 195 were confirmed as seropositive, for an overall prevalence of 0.33 percent (95% CI 0.28-0.38). A marked decrease in overall HTLV-I prevalence with time (from 0.47% in 1989 to 0.13% in 1996) was observed, which can be explained mainly by the decreasing percentage of recruited new donors during the study period. Four independent risk factors for HTLV-I were identified: new donor status (odds ratio [OR] 12.5), female sex (OR 1.7), increasing age (30-39 years: OR, 2.4; 40-49 years: OR, 3.7; >50 years: OR 6.6), and positive antibodies to hepatitis B virus core antigen (OR, 1.7). Selection of specific locations for blood collection was inversely associated with HTLV-I (OR 0.5).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  New donor status, advancing age, female sex, and positivity for hepatitis B virus core antibodies were the major factors associated with HTLV-I infection in Guadeloupe.
authors.affiliation: Etablissement de Transfusion Sanguine, Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, France. rouet.francois@wanadoo.fr
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rouet
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Foucher
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rabier
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gawronski
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Taverne
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chancerel
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Casman
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Strobel
mesh_terms: D001782:Blood Donors; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000635:transmission*; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1; D006801:Humans; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014900:West Indies