Seroprevalence of Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Types 1 and 2 among Blood Donors at Selected Hospitals in Ilorin, Kwara State

Abstract

Human T-lymphotropic virus types 1 and 2 (HTLV-1/2) are transfusion-transmissible retroviruses that remain conspicuously absent from routine blood donor screening in Nigeria despite documented endemicity. This study determined the seroprevalence of HTLV-1/2 among blood donors at tertiary and secondary healthcare facilities in Ilorin, Kwara State, and examined its distribution by donor type, demographic characteristics, healthcare facility tier, and co-infection with other transfusion-transmissible infections. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 360 blood donors recruited by stratified systematic random sampling from the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Children Specialist Hospital and Sobi Specialist Hospital, Sobi, Ilorin, Kwara State. Serum samples were screened for HTLV-1/2, HIV, and Hepatitis B and C virus antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Associations were tested using Chi-square, Fisher's exact, and independent-samples t-tests, with significance set at p < 0.05. The HTLV-1/2 seroprevalence was 1.11% (4/360; 95% CI: 0.43–2.82%). Seroprevalence was higher among family replacement donors (1.81%) than voluntary non-remunerated donors (0.52%), though this difference did not reach statistical significance and was closely similar between the tertiary facility (1.16%) and the two secondary facilities combined (1.06%). No demographic variable was significantly associated with seropositivity, and none of the HTLV-1/2-positive donors had co-infection with HIV, Hepatitis B, or Hepatitis C. The HTLV-1/2 circulates among blood donors in Ilorin at a level approaching the World Health Organization's operational threshold for donor screening, supporting consideration of routine HTLV-1/2 screening and continued promotion of voluntary non-remunerated donation within Kwara State's blood transfusion services.