HTLV-1 infection in Reunion

Abstract Objectives Although regularly looked for in blood donors, HTLV infections are very rare in Reunion. We aimed to describe HTLV infections locally. Patients and methods HTLV infections were identified from the database of the Reunion University Hospital administrative database (PMSI) between 2000 and 2016. Diagnosis was performed with HTLV 1/2 enzyme immunoassay test and confirmed by Western blot. Results We reported three asymptomatic and four symptomatic HTLV infections, including two tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-1 associated myelopathies (TSP/HAM) and two adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL), diagnosed between 2000 and 2016. Conclusion Reunion is a low HTLV prevalence area, which could be explained by its settlement history. The present report underlines the local circulation of HTLV and symptomatic infections.