Mandatory Blood Donor Screening for Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus Type I and Type II in Saudi Arabia: Need for Review

Abstract

Background: HTLV blood donor screening is recommended practice in high prevalence countries. However, although studies of HTLV seroprevalence in Saudi Arabia agree these viruses present limited threat in the country, serological screening of HTLV-I/-II in all prospective blood donor candidates is mandatory practice. Since the last publication of HTLV seroprevalence in Saudi Arabia 10 years ago, we review 2014-2015 data of 23,668 blood donors attending King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH) Riyadh, to determine whether this mandatory practice needs review. Materials and methods:Serology screening was performed on the Abbott Architect system running the rHTLV assay. Repeat reactive results were confirmed by Western Blot analysis. Results: This study revealed zero HTLV-I/-II seroprevalence amongst 23,668 donors over the study period. Discussion: We further support Saudi Arabia as a HTLV non-endemic region, and review more cost-effective strategies to minimize HTLV risks as an alternative to mandatory blood donor screening.