Abstract
The seroprevalence of human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV)-I/II was assessed in 13,443 consecutive blood donors in eastern Saudi Arabia between 1998 and 2001. Screening by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and confirmation by Western blot resulted in 8 (0.060%) positive cases, of which 5 (0.056%) belonged to Saudi and 3 (0.113%) to non-Saudi donors. The majority of the HTLV-positive donations (6/8) were for patients, and none had a history of known risk factor for HTLV-I/II transmission. Although the very low prevalence of HTLV-I/II among Saudi donors does not support routine screening, screening of donors from other nationalities may be initiated, especially those from HTLV-I/II endemic areas.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 189-191 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | American Journal of Infection Control |
Volume | 33 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Apr 2005 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Epidemiology
- Health Policy
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Infectious Diseases