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Human T-lymphotropic viruses 1 and 2 (HTLV-1/2) have a worldwide distribution. HTLV-1 has been associated with several diseases, including an aggressive malignant disease known as adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma and a chronic inflammatory neurological disease called HTLV-1-associated myelopathy, while HTLV-2 has not been definitively associated with diseases. HTLV-2 is most prevalent in specific groups such as injecting drug users and the indigenous population. In Brazil, most studies about HTLV in indigenous are carried out in indigenous communities from the north of the country. Mato Grosso do Sul (MS), Central Brazil, has the second-largest indigenous population in Brazil. However, there is no available data about HTLV infection in this group. We conducted the first investigation of HTLV-1/2 infection prevalence in the indigenous population from Jaguapiru and Bororó villages in Dourados City, MS, to provide the prevalence and molecular characterization of HTLV. For that, a total of 1875 indigenous participated in the study. All the serum samples were screened by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay commercial kit for the presence of anti-HTLV-1/2 antibodies. Positive samples were confirmed by HTLV-1/2 Western Blot assay. The HTLV-1 5'LTR region was detected by nested PCR amplification and sequenced by Sanger. Most of the study population declared belonging to Guarani-Kaiowá ethnicity (69.18%), 872 (46.51%), and 1003 (53.49%) were from Jaguapiru and Bororó villages, respectively. The median age of participants was 31 years, and 74.24% were females. Two individuals were detected with HTLV-1 (0.1%; CI 95% 0.1–0.2). The phylogenetic analysis revealed that isolates belong to the Cosmopolitan subtype and the Transcontinental subgroup (HTLV-1aA). The low HTLV-1 prevalence found in this study is similar to that observed among blood donors, and pregnant populations from Mato Grosso do Sul. The absence of HTLV-2 infection among these Brazilian indigenous communities would suggest a distinct behavior pattern from other indigenous populations in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This cross-sectional study evaluated the prevalence of infection with human T-lymphotropic virus 1 and 2 (HTLV-1 and HTLV-2) in a population from the municipalities of Anajás, Chaves, São Sebastião da Boa Vista (SSBV) and Portel in the Marajó Archipelago and correlated these data with the epidemiological characteristics of the study population.Methods: A total of 1899 biological samples were evaluated. The samples were screened for the presence of anti-HTLV antibodies using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and infection was confirmed using conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time PCR and nucleotide sequencing.Results: Eleven samples (0.58%) were seropositive for HTLV, but molecular analysis confirmed positivity in only two samples (0.11%). Nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analysis indicated that the two samples positive for HTLV-1 that were isolated in Chaves belonged to the Cosmopolitan subtype 1 (HTLV-1a) and Transcontinental subgroup (A).Conclusion: Our results confirmed the presence of Cosmopolitan Transcontinental HTLV-1 in the Marajó Archipelago, Amazon region, and the majority of the population revealed a lack of knowledge about sexually transmitted infections, which increases the risk of dissemination of HTLV and other agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: The present paper investigated possible correlations between the clinical presentation of hepatitis B and the TNF-α −308G/A, IFN-γ +874A/T, TGF-beta1 −509C/T, and IL-10 −1081A/G polymorphisms and associated serum levels of these cytokines. Methods: Fifty-three hepatitis patients were selected and divided into two groups: A – inactive (n =30) and B – chronic hepatitis/cirrhosis (n =23). The control group consisted of 100 subjects who were positive for anti-HBc and anti-HBs. The serum concentrations of the cytokines were determined by immunoenzymatic assays. The polymorphisms of the cytokines genes were assessed by PCR and PCR-SSP. Results: The mean serum levels of IFN-γ of the control group were significantly higher than those of groups A and B, whereas the mean levels TGF-beta1 were significantly higher in groups A and B in comparison with the control. In the case of IL-10, the mean serum level recorded in the control group was significantly higher than that of group B. The TNF-α −308AG genotype was considerably more frequent in group B (43.3%) than the control (14.4%). Conclusion: Higher serum levels of IFN-γ and TGF-beta1 were associated with chronic hepatitis B, and lower serum levels of IL-10 were found in patients with the active disease. Furthermore the presence of allele A of the TNF-α −308 polymorphism suggest a risk of the progressive disease. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]