Human T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma virus risk may be enhanced in some selected donor populations

Background and Objectives Certain patient ethnic groups may require blood c omponents from donors under-represented in the UK donor population. Selecti ve recruitment of Afro-Caribbean donors is therefore necessary but was cons idered to pose an increased risk of human T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma virus ( HTLV) infection. To assess this a seroprevalence study of HTLV was undertak en in Afro-Caribbean and Caucasian donors. Materials and Methods Sera from 1100 Afro-Caribbean and 1100 Caucasian dono rs were tested for antibody to HTLV. Reactive samples were confirmed for sp ecificity using an algorithm comprising two additional assays and polymeras e chain reaction (PCR) where possible. Results Six Afro-Caribbean donors (0.55%) were considered to be infected wi th HTLV I. Conclusion Donor selection in this case caused a significantly elevated pre valence of HTLV infection and serves as a warning of the need for care in t he design policies for selective donor recruitment.