DE PREVALENTIE VAN HUMAAN T-LYMFOTROOP VIRUS TYPE 1 EN 2 BIJ BLOEDDONORS EN PATIENTEN MET SEKSUEEL OVERDRAAGBARE AANDOENINGEN IN SURINAME

OBJECTIVE; To determine the prevalence of HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 infection in the population of Suriname in order to enhance the safety of blood transfusion in Suriname. DESIGN; Descriptive. SETTING; Academic Hospital, Paramaribo, Suriname. METHOD: Blood was examined of the 777 regular donors(constituting 97 procent of the total pool) who donated blood between 1 February and 1 June 1995 at the Blood Transfusion Centre of the Suriname Red Cross in Paramaribo, and also of the 140 patients with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) seen during the same period at the Dermatological centre of the Ministry of Health. All sera were sreened with particle agglutination. Sera which were not negative were subsequently tested with a western blot method which distinguishes between HTLV-1 and HTLV-2. RESUTLS. Three sera (0.4 percent) of the blood donors and 2(1.4 procent) of the STD patents were positive for HTLV-1(difference not significant). Nobody was found to be HTLV-2 positive. CONCLUSION; The HTLV-1 prevalence in the Suriname blood donors is similar to that of blood donors and general population of many regions in Brazil, but substantially lower than in several other regions in the Caribbean. Since examination of all donated blood is not a realistic option in Suriname it is recommended that all new regular blood donors should be tested for HTLV antibodies(AU)