1. 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.
- Author
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Mauclère P, Le Hesran JY, Mahieux R, Salla R, Mfoupouendoun J, Abada ET, Millan J, de Thé G, and Gessain A
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Blotting, Western methods, Cameroon epidemiology, Child, DNA, Viral blood, Female, HTLV-I Infections ethnology, HTLV-I Infections virology, Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 genetics, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Antibodies, Viral blood, Carrier State, Gene Products, gag, HTLV-I Infections epidemiology, Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 immunology
- Abstract
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.
- Published
- 1997
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