Reminder: You are viewing our sharing site. Content may differ from our live site.
Skip to main content

# Human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) - Whole blood and components

## Essential information

Includes

  HTLV types I and II

### Scenarios

Affected individual

Obligatory

  Must not donate.

See if relevant
  - Blood safety
Additional information

  HTLV (types I and II) infection can cause serious blood and nervous system disease. It is known to be transmitted by transfusion. In the early stages of infection, the testing used by the Blood Services may not detect the virus allowing it to be passed on by transfusion.

Current or former sexual partner of affected individual

Obligatory

  Must not donate.

Discretionary
  1. If it is more than 3 months since last sexual contact and a validated test for anti-HTLV antibodies is to be undertaken on the donated component(s), accept.
  2. If it is more than 3 months since last sexual contact, the donor has been previously tested for anti-HTLV antibodies by the blood service and this test was performed at least 3 months after the last sexual contact, accept.
See if relevant

  Blood safety

Additional information

  HTLV infection can be spread through sexual activity. It may however not be transmitted for a long time into a relationship. This could be because the infection becomes more active in the infected partner, the uninfected partner acquires another infection or an injury to a mucous membrane, or there is a change in the use of, or failure of, barrier contraceptives (e.g. condoms etc). In the early stages of infection, the testing used by the Blood Services may not detect the virus allowing it to be passed on by transfusion.

  Waiting 3 months from the last sexual contact will ensure that any infection is picked up by the tests used by the Blood Services.

  Blood services in the UK are not required to test all donations for anti-HTLV antibodies. Blood services will need to identify at risk donors at health screening and consider options for discretionary HTLV testing. Otherwise, donors who report sexual contact with an affected individual must be deferred.

Person currently or formerly sharing a home with an affected individual

Discretionary

  Accept

See if relevant
  - Current or former sexual partner of affected individual above
Additional information

  HTLV is neither contagious nor spread by the faecal-oral route. It is usually only spread through a direct blood to blood or sexual route. For these reasons, household contacts do not need to be deferred.

## Supporting information

Regulatory information

  This entry is a requirement of the Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005.

Reason for change:
  This entry was updated to remove the reference to a separate entry for Northern Ireland. This is to reflect changes in donor selection criteria for donors in Northern Ireland (01 June 2020) which are in line with the other UK Blood Services and the SaBTO Donor Selection Criteria Review Report (2017).
Version details:

  WB-DSG Edition 203 Release 50 (01 June 2020)

BETA

We recently updated this website. Help us improve it – give your feedback (opens in new tab)