High prevalence of HTLV-1 and 2 viruses in pregnant women in São Luis, state of Maranhão, Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: Human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is endemic in the Caribbean, Japan, South America and regions of Africa. HTLV-2 is present in Native American populations and associated with IV drug use in Europe and North America. In Brazil, it is estimated that 1.5 million people are infected with HTLV-1/2. The study objective was to determine HTLV-1/2 prevalence in pregnant women in the prenatal care from three public services in São Luis, State of Maranhão, Brazil, and to counsel seropositive women to reduce viral transmission. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from February to December 2008; women with age of 18 to 45 years, with low risk for sexually transmitted disease (STD) were invited to participate. Blood samples were collected in filter paper, and HTLV-1/2 immunoenzymatic test (ELISA) was performed as a screening test. Women with reactive results were submitted to peripheral venous blood collection for ELISA repetition, followed by Western blot (WB) and real-time PCR to confirm and discriminate the infection between virus types 1 and 2. Results: Of the 2,044 women tested, seven (0.3%) were ELISA reactive and confirmed positive (four were HTLV-1, and three were HTLV-2). All positive women were oriented not to breastfeed their newborns. Conclusions: This study showed that the virus is present in high prevalence in that population. Further studies covering other segments of the population are necessary to better characterize the presence of HTLV-1/2 in Maranhão and to elicit measures to prevent its spread.

Prevalence of HTLV-1/2 in Pregnant Women Living in the Metropolitan Area of Rio de Janeiro

“…The mean age of positive pregnant women and the fact that they were mostly non-Caucasian are in accordance with the literature [3], [15], [19], [23], [25]. In the comparison between HTLV-1/2 positive and negative groups none of the variables was statistically significant, which was in line with the two latest studies from Bahia [20], [21].…”

“…In the comparison between HTLV-1/2 positive and negative groups none of the variables was statistically significant, which was in line with the two latest studies from Bahia [20], [21]. Although there were some reports of an inverse association between both length of formal education and family income with HTLV-1/2 infection [7], [18], [19], [23]–[26] these were not universal findings [15], [21], [27]–[30] and were not confirmed in our population.…”

“…Estimates range widely from 800,000 to 2.5 million people [5], [15], [16]. Such discrepancy in numbers is a result of both the epidemiological characteristic of the infection, which has endemic clusters alongside low prevalence areas, and the gap in knowledge itself, since vast areas of the country remain unstudied.…”

HTLV-1 in pregnant women from the Southern Bahia, Brazil: a neglected condition despite the high prevalence

“…Previous studies in endemic areas of Brazil have found a similar prevalence [19,24] demonstrating that Southern Bahia is another region where the virus circulates with a prevalence much higher than in other regions of the country–at least three to ten times higher [6,21-23]. Additionally, this prevalence was much higher than the prevalence of HIV (0.22%–CI 95%: 0.08-0.48) and Treponema pallidum (0.47%–CI 95%: 0.52-0.80) in the analyzed population.…”

“…In Salvador, Bahia state, it was found 0.84% and 0.88% [18,19], and 0.98% in the town of Cruz das Almas, which is located in the Recôncavo area, 149 Km west from Salvador (4/408) [20]. Nevertheless, these mentioned prevalences are at least three to ten times higher than in other regions of the country [6,21-23]. …”