Human T Lymphotropic Virus-I (HTLV-I), the Causative Agent of Acute T-Cell Leukaemia/Lymphoma, Is Absent among Blood Donors in Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia

Since the 1990s, antibodies to human t-lymphotropic virus type i (anti-htlv-i) have been screened in units of blood donors at blood banks in kingdom of saudi arabia (ksa). htlv-i was the first human retrovirus to be discovered which naturally infects cd4+ t lymphocytes and can be transmitted through blood transfer or from mother to infant through cells in breast milk. in most cases, the infection is harmless but may develop a type of adult t-cell leukemia in which every tumor cell carries a clonally integrated htlv-i provirus. the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of anti-htlv-i/ii antibodies in blood donations at aseer region, ksa, and to compare the results with other reports from different localities in ksa, as well as the cost effectiveness of anti-htlvi/ii antibodies screening. a 4432 blood units collected from blood donors at aseer region were tested for the presence of anti-htlv-i/ii using enzymelinked immunosorbant assay (elisa). there was no seropositive case in the tested blood units. therefore, aseer region appears to be a non-endemic area for htlv-i/ii. also, the current practice of screening all blood donors for anti-htlv-i/ii should be reviewed all over the kingdom as it does not seem to be cost-effective.