Population-based Seroprevalence of HTLV-I Infection in Golestan Province, South East of Caspian Sea, Iran

Objective(s): Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type-1 is an oncornavirus that causes adult T cell leukemia (ATL) HTLV-I-associated myelopathy⁄tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). Golestan province is located in North West of Khorasan province known as an endemic area for HTLV-I in Iran. This study aimed to evaluate seroprevalence of HTLV-I in Golestan province. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study in 2007, blood samples were collected from 2034 healthy people residing in different parts of Golestan province. Sera were assessed for HTLV-I/II–specific antibodies by ELISA method and reactive samples were confirmed by Western blot. Demographic and serologic data were entered in SPSS version 11.5 and statistical analysis was performed. Results: An overall HTLV-I/II prevalence of 0.7% was observed in 15 cases by ELISA. Six out of 15 were confirmed as HTLV-I by western blot. Regional variation in the prevalence of HTLV-I was observed; 0%, 0%, 0.1%, 1.9%, 0.3%, 0%, and 2.6% tested HTLV-I-positive from west to east of Golestan Province regions, respectively. Seropositivity increased with age. No association between HTLV-I infection and sex status was detected. Conclusion: Highest rate of HTLV-I seroprevalence was shown in east of this region located in neighborhood with Khorasan province, the only confirmed endemic area in Iran. It seems that eastern area of our province is endemic for HTLV-I. Further comprehensive detailed epidemiological and molecular studies are recommended.