Seroprevalence and risk factors for human T cell lymphotropic viruses types 1 and 2 among blood donors in Jos, Nigeria

Abstract

Aims: To determine the seroprevalence and risk factors of human T cell Lymphotrophic viruses 1 and 2 among blood donors in Jos, Plateau state, Nigeria. Methods: A cross sectional study of 500 consecutive blood donors from the blood bank of Jos University Teaching Hospital and National Blood Transfusion Services Jos were recruited into the study. Questionnaires were administered and blood samples were collected from all participants. Sera of the blood donors were assayed for HTLV 1 and 2 using micro- enzyme–linked immunosorbent assay. Data was analysed using Epi Info version 3.5.1 and statistical significance was set at p-values ≤0.05. Results: The mean age of the study population was 29.9±8.9 years with a male - female ratio of 4.2:1. Voluntary blood donors constituted 50.6% while family replacement blood donors constituted 49.4%. The mean hemoglobin was 14.9±1.2 g/dl. Although 4% of the blood donors had different forms of exposure to risk factors, none was positive for HTLV-1 or HTLV-2. Conclusion: Human T cell lymphotrophic virus had zero seroprevalence among tested blood donors in Jos. However, continuous surveillance is necessary to keep the prevalence at low ebb. Further studies using larger sample size to include other healthy adults, commercial sex workers and pregnant women should be carried out in the entire country to define the prevalence of the virus in Nigeria.