Prevalence of Seropositivity for Human T lymphocytes Virus in Patients with Hereditary Bleeding Diseases in Population of West Azerbaijan

Background and Aims: Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV) is a human retrovirus which has been known to cause adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma and some other inflammatory disorders. Patients with hereditary bleeding diseases are at high risk for these viruses. In this study, we evaluated serological HTLV- I/II infection among these patients in west Azerbaijan of Iran. Material and Methods: We studied 50 hemophiliacs including 43 males and 7 females. Serum samples were screened for Anti-HTLV-I and II using enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay. Western blot method was applied on borderline results for confirmation. Results and Conclusions: All studied patients were seronegative for HTLV-I/II and serologic evidence of HTLV I/II infection was not found in any of patients. Based on our results, blood donor population of Urmia must be increased to achieve more accurate results.