title: Evaluation of the use of real-time PCR for human T cell lymphotropic virus 1 and 2 as a confirmatory test in screening for blood donors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  HTLV-1/2 screening among blood donors commonly utilizes an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (EIA), followed by a confirmatory method such as Western blot (WB) if the EIA is positive. However, this algorithm yields a high rate of inconclusive results, and is expensive.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two qualitative real-time PCR assays were developed to detect HTLV-1 and 2, and a total of 318 samples were tested (152 blood donors, 108 asymptomatic carriers, 26 HAM/TSP patients and 30 seronegative individuals).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sensitivity and specificity of PCR in comparison with WB results were 99.4% and 98.5%, respectively. PCR tests were more efficient for identifying the virus type, detecting HTLV-2 infection and defining inconclusive cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Because real-time PCR is sensitive and practical and costs much less than WB, this technique can be used as a confirmatory test for HTLV in blood banks, as a replacement for WB.
authors.affiliation: Minas Gerais State Blood Center, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rafaela Gomes
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.forename: Maísa Aparecida
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Maria Sueli Silva
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Namen-Lopes
authors.forename: Sônia Mara Nunes
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Fernando Valadares
authors.initials: FV
authors.lastname: Basques
authors.forename: João Gabriel
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Ribas
authors.forename: Anna Bárbara de Freitas
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Carneiro-Proietti
authors.forename: Marina Lobato
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Martins
mesh_terms: D001782:Blood Donors; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D015491:HTLV-II Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000235:genetics*; D015367:Human T-lymphotropic virus 2 / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral