Demographic, Ethnic, and Geographic Differences between Human T Cell Lymphotropic Virus (HTLV) Type I-Seropositive Carriers and Persons with HTLV-I Gag-Indeterminate Western Blots in Central Africa

Using stringent Western blot (WB) criteria, human T cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) type I seroprevalence among 3783 persons from representative rural populations of Cameroon averaged 1.1% and was higher in females (1.5%) and in Pygmies (2.0%), increasing with age. Furthermore, an HTLV-I Gag-indeterm...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of infectious diseases 1997-08, Vol.176 (2), p.505-509
Main Authors: Mauclére, Philippe, Le Hesran, Jean-Yves, Mahieux, Renaud, Salla, Roger, Mfoupouendoun, Jermie, Abada, Emmanuel Tina, Millan, Jacques, de Thé, Guy, Gessain, Antoine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Age Factors
AIDS/HIV
Antibodies
Antibodies, Viral - blood
Biological and medical sciences
Blood donation
Blotting, Western - methods
Cameroon - epidemiology
Carrier State
Child
Concise Communications
DNA, Viral - blood
Female
Gene Products, gag
Geography
HTLV-I Infections - epidemiology
HTLV-I Infections - ethnology
HTLV-I Infections - virology
Human T lymphotropic virus 1
Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 - genetics
Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 - immunology
Human viral diseases
Humans
Infectious diseases
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Miscellaneous
Polymerase chain reaction
Reactivity
Seroepidemiologic studies
T lymphocytes
Tropical medicine
Tropical regions
Viral diseases
Viruses
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Summary:Using stringent Western blot (WB) criteria, human T cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) type I seroprevalence among 3783 persons from representative rural populations of Cameroon averaged 1.1% and was higher in females (1.5%) and in Pygmies (2.0%), increasing with age. Furthermore, an HTLV-I Gag-indeterminate WB profile (HGIP), exhibiting strong reactivities to p19, p26, p28, p32, p36, and pr 53 but lacking both p24 and env reactivity, was observed in 1.6% of the same populations. The prevalence of the HGIP was similar between males and females, did not increase with age, and appeared to cluster in tropical forests of southern Cameroon, especially among Pygmies (reaching 4%). These contrasting epidemiologic features, together with the lack of detection by polymerase chain reaction of HTLV-I sequences in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the persons with HGIP, strongly suggest that such a WB profile does not appear to reflect an HTLV-I-related viral infection but possibly an environmental (viral or parasitic) factor endemic in tropical rain forest areas.
ISSN:0022-1899
1537-6613
DOI:10.1086/514071