Human T-lymphotropic virus type I among blood donors from Guadeloupe: donation, demographic, and biologic characteristics

BACKGROUND: Epidemiologic data on human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I ) in Guadeloupe (French West Indies) are scant. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: From January 1989 to December 1996, 59,426 blood donors were screened by enzyme immunoassay for antibodies to HTLV-I. All re peatedly reactive samples were confirmed by Western blot. Temporal trends i n HTLV-I seropositivity rates were examined during the study period. A mult ivariate analysis of donation, demographic, and biologic characteristics wa s performed. RESULTS: Of the screened blood donors, 195 were confirmed as seropositive, for an overall prevalence of 0.33 percent (95% CI 0.28-0.38). A marked decr ease in overall HTLV-I prevalence with time (from 0.47% in 1989 to 0.13% in 1996) was observed, which can be explained mainly by the decreasing percen tage of recruited new donors during the study period. Four independent risk factors for HTLV-I were identified: new donor status (odds ratio [OR] 12.5 ), female sex (OR 1.7), increasing age (30-39 years: OR, 2.4; 40-49 years: OR, 3.7; >50 years: OR 6.6), and positive antibodies to hepatitis B virus c ore antigen (OR, 1.7). Selection of specific locations for blood collection was inversely associated with HTLV-I (OR 0.5). CONCLUSION: New donor status, advancing age, female sex, and positivity for hepatitis B virus core antibodies were the major factors associated with H TLV-I infection in Guadeloupe.