Retrovirology (Dec 2024)

Declining trend of HTLV-1 among organ/ tissue donors in Iranian Tissue Bank between 2014–2021

  • Arash Letafati,
  • Sayed Hamidreza Mozhgani,
  • Mehdi Norouzi,
  • Amir Aboofazeli,
  • Zahra Taghiabadi,
  • Negar Zafarian,
  • Saba Seyedi,
  • Elnaz Mohammad Jaberi,
  • Sedigheh Poursaleh,
  • Maryam Karami,
  • Sheida Sarrafzadeh,
  • Ahmadreza Sadeghi

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12977-024-00656-9
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 21, no. 1
pp. 1 – 5

Abstract

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Abstract Background Human T-cell Lymphotropic Virus type-1 (HTLV-1) infection is associated with serious disorders, including Adult T-cell Leukemia/Lymphoma (ATLL) and HTLV-1–associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). In addition to sexual, vertical, parenteral, and blood transfusion, organ/tissue transplantation is considered as a transmission route of HTLV infection. Given the substantial risk of HTLV-1 transmission and the subsequent development of HAM/TSP (approximately 40%) in kidney transplant recipients, pre-transplant donor screening is crucial. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of HTLV-1 in potential organ/tissue donors referred to the Iranian Tissue Bank and Research Center (ITBRC). Materials and methods The study population was potential organ and/or tissue donors referred to ITBRC between 2014 and 2021, including two groups of brain death (potential donors of organs and/or tissues) and circulatory death donors (potential tissue donors from Iranian Legal Medicine Organization). Initial screening was performed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and positive cases were confirmed for HTLV-1 infection with polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results 111 out of 3,814 donors were positive for HTLV-1 (3%). The rate of positive tests between 2014 and 2017 was 6%, which was significantly higher than the positive tests percentage between 2017 and 2021 with 0.5% (P-value < 0.001). The rate of test positivity in females was 4% compared to 2% in males (P-value = 0.001). Furthermore, individuals diagnosed with brain death exhibited a significantly lower likelihood of HTLV-1 infection (0.2%) compared to cases with circulatory death (4%) (P-value < 0.001). Conclusion Considering the contraindication of organ/tissue donation from donors with HTLV-1 positive test, these findings give an insight into the prevalence of HTLV-1 among potential organ/tissue donors in Iran. Moreover, the higher prevalence of HTLV-1 infection in circulatory death donors from Iranian Legal Medicine Organization urges for cautious evaluation in these donors.

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