Control de los virus HTLV-I/II en Bancos de Sangre en Argentina. El dilema continúa.

Revista de la Sociedad Iberoamericana de Información Científica

Sociedad Iberoamericana de Información Científica

Lugar: Buenos Aires; Año: 2003

esting for HTLV-I/II viruses in blood banks in Argentina. The dilemma continuesThe screening for HTLV-I/II is not currently done in the blood banks of the majority of the provinces in Argentina because it is not required by the Ministry of Health. Nevertheless, the screening for HTLV antibodies is recommended by the Asociación Argentina de Hemoterapia e Inmunohematología (AAHI). Seroepidemiological studies have demonstrated that HTLV-I is circulating among the blood banks of the province of Córdoba at a prevalence ranging from 0.26% to 0.038%. The evidence of the HTLV-I infection among the blood donors and the recommendation of AAHI made the introduction of HTLV-I/II screening necessary in some blood banks in Córdoba. In 2000, a formal agreement was made between the blood bank of the National University of Córdoba and our laboratory in order to do the confirmatory tests to all the blood donors with reactive results. This made it possible not only to give donors precise information reg