INTRODUCTION: Transmission of @entity1 T-lymphotropic viruses (HTLV) occurs from mother to @entity1 , by @entity458 . Presently, in most centres in Nigeria, there is no routine pre-transfusion screening for HTLV. The study aims to determine the prevalence of @entity2662 and @entity4451 among healthy blood donors at a tertiary centre in Lagos. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out at the blood donor clinic of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja. About 5mls of venous blood was collected from each subject into a sterile plain bottle after obtaining subject's consent. The serum separated and stored at -200C. Sera were assayed for HTLV by an enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) for the determination of antibodies to @entity2662 and @entity4451 . Western blot confirmatory testing was done on reactive samples. All donors were also screened for @entity645 , HBsAg and @entity3531 by rapid kits. RESULTS: The seroprevalence of @entity2662 by ELISA was 1.0% and 0.5% by Western Blot among blood donors. A total of 210 healthy blood donors were enrolled. Only 2 (1.0%) blood donors were repeatedly reactive with ELISA test. On confirmatory testing with Western Blot, 1 (0.5%) blood donor was positive for HTLV. All the healthy blood donors were negative for @entity645 , HbsAg and @entity3531 . None of the 210 blood donors had been previously transfused; as such no association could be established between transfusion history and HTLV positivity among the blood donors. CONCLUSION: The seroprevalence of HTLV in this environment is low among healthy blood donors.

Seroprevalence of XXXX T lymphotropic virus antibodies among healthy blood donors at a tertiary centre in Lagos, Nigeria.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['human', 'child'] @entity4451 :: ('11909', 'Species') :: ['HTLV -2', 'HTLV-2'] @entity3531 :: ('11096', 'Species') :: ['HCV'] @entity645 :: ('57667', 'Species') :: ['HIV'] @entity458 :: ('MESH:D020018', 'Disease') :: ['sexual contact and blood transfusion'] @entity2662 :: ('11908', 'Species') :: ['HTLV 1', 'HTLV-1', 'HTLV -1']
@entity1 :: (9606,Species) :: ['human']
