Background: Human T-cell lymphoma/leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection is relatively common in northeast Iran. It is important to understand which factors play a role in the pathogenesis of this virus. Blood group antigens may act as a receptor for various infectious agents. This study was performed to detect any association between Rh blood group antigens and HTLV-1 infection in northeast Iran.
Methods: In this case and control study, Rhesus blood group antigens (D, C, c, E and e) were determined within 24 hours of blood collection by commercial antibodies in 100 HTLV-I infected individuals and 332 healthy blood donors at the Khorasan Blood Transfusion Center, Mashhad, Iran, in 2011. The results of HTLV-I positive subjects and the control group were compared using SPSS software.
Results: The frequencies of Rh blood group antigens in the case group were D in 88%, C in 72%, c in 68%, E in 27%, and e in 94%. In the control group the frequencies were D in 91%, C in 75.5%, c in 72.9%, E in 28.6% and e in 98.2%. Chi-square test showed a significant difference between the two groups for the frequency of e antigen (p = 0.03).
Conclusions: Our study showed that e antigen expression is associated with a decreased risk of HTLV-I infection in northeast Iran.