Perfil epidemiológico e clínico dos candidatos à doação de sangue com sorologia reativa para o vírus HTLV-1/2 no Estado do Amazonas

Abstract

The HTLV virus has four serotypes, with HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 being the most common. It is estimated that 10 to 20 million people worldwide live with HTLV, with approximately 800 thousand in Brazil, considered a high endemic area. Serological screening in the country is mainly indicated for specific groups, such as blood donors. In this context, our study aimed to characterize the epidemiological and clinical aspects of blood donation candidates with reactive serology for HTLV-1/2 in the state of Amazonas. This is a retrospective study designed to describe the epidemiological and clinical profile of blood donors reactive for HTLV-1/2 at the Fundação Hospitalar de Hematologia e Hemoterapia do Amazonas (HEMOAM). The study population consisted of 589 blood donation candidates identified through a retrospective survey from 2018 to 2024 of blood donations with reactive anti-HTLV-1/2 results at HEMOAM’s Hemotherapy Service. The study was conducted in two stages: first, retrospective collection of sociodemographic data of reactive donors; second, the convocation of these individuals for serological confirmation of HTLV-1/2. Donor data were obtained from the HEMOSYS and SAME software, including sociodemographic information, donation history, serological results, coinfections, and blood typing. Data were organized in electronic spreadsheets and analyzed using Microsoft Excel, Word, and GraphPad Prism v.8.1 for tables, graphs, and statistical analyses. Normality of the variables was assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, and RLU comparisons were performed using the Mann-Whitney test, with p < 0.05 considered significant. The spatial distribution of cases was mapped using QGIS v.2.18. The results of this dissertation will be presented in the form of a manuscript to be submitted to the Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases (BJID). The findings of this study demonstrate the presence of HTLV-1/2 infection among blood donors in the state of Amazonas, with a prevalence of 0.2/1,000 donors (0.02%), highlighting the importance of mandatory serological screening in hemotherapy centers as an essential epidemiological surveillance strategy. The use of more precise CLIA cutoff points can optimize serological screening, reducing unnecessary confirmatory tests, laboratory costs, and emotional impacts on donors. These findings contribute to improving epidemiological surveillance, transfusion safety, and knowledge about HTLV-1/2 circulation in regions of low prevalence, such as Amazonas. Keywords: Epidemiological profile, HTLV-1/2, blood donors, prevalence.