Seroindeterminate HTLV-1 prevalence and characteristics in blood donors in Taiwan.
Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is commonly accepted as the cause of adult T-cell leukemia and tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-1-associated myelopathy. Screening of blood donors for HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 was implemented in Taiwan in February 1996. From February 1996 to December 1998, we investigated the seroprevalence of HTLV-1 in all unpaid blood donors in Taiwan. Of 2,578,238 donors in all 6 blood centers, 1793 (0.06%) were seropositive for HTLV-1, and 605 (0.023%) were indeterminate for HTLV-1. Among these indeterminate donors, 359 (59.3%) were male. The most common HTLV-1-indeterminate pattern by Western blot in our study was GD21 alone (34.6%) followed by p24 alone (7.8%), p53 alone (6.5%), and gp46 + GD21 (6.0%). That GD21 pattern was found in 59.6% of indeterminate results in this study suggested that the majority of nonspecific enzyme immunoassay reactions were probably precipitated by viral envelop glycoprotein GD21.
Lu
Shih Chien
SC
Tainan Blood Center, Tainan, Taiwan.
Chen
Bai Hsiun
BH
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001782:Blood Donors; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D005260:Female; D015486:HTLV-I Antigens / Q000097:blood; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay / Q000592:standards; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012737:Sex Factors; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
D015486:HTLV-I Antigens