Presence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and T‐lymphotropic virus type I and II (HTLV‐I/II) in a Haemophiliac population in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and correlation with additional serological results

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and human T lymphotropic virus types I and II (HTLV-I/II) infections in 226 haemophiliac patients treated at Fundação Hemominas in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, and to verify association with other serological results. Patients positive for HTLV-I/II had also a neurological, haematological and ophthalmological evaluation. Fundação Hemominas offers comprehensive care for all haemophiliac patients in Minas Gerais. Thirty-six (15.9%) of the 226 patients showed reactive results to HIV-1 [ELISA, Abbott, USA, confirmed by Western blot (WB), Cambridge Biotech, USA, and/or immunofluorescence, Fiocruz, Brazil] and 16 (7.1%) had reactive sera to HTLV-I/II (ELISA, Ortho). Eleven of these 16 (4.9%) were positive, 3/16 (1.3%) were indeterminate and 2/16 (0.9%) were negative in the HTLV WB (Cambridge Biotech). Neurological, haematological and ophthalmological examination of 9/16 patients revealed no abnormality suggestive of HTLV disease. Of the 16 patients reactive to HTLV-I/II ELISA test, six (37.5%) were also positive to HIV-1 (chi 2 = 5.92; P = 0.01). Seropositivity for HTLV-I/II and HIV-1 was associated with advancing age and positive results for hepatitis C virus (HCV), Chagas' disease (T. cruzi infection) and syphilis. No association between the presence of HTLV with type and severity of haemophilia and hepatitis B results was detected. The prevalence of antibodies against HIV-1 is approximately three times that of HTLV-I/II and a patient positive for HTLV-I/II had a significantly increased risk of being positive for HIV-1, HCV and T. cruzi.

Western blot seroindeterminate individuals for Human T-lymphotropic Virus 1/2 (HTLV-1/2) in Fortaleza (Brazil): a serological and molecular diagnostic and epidemiological approach

“…Our investigation of HTLV-1/2 seroindeterminate and seropositive individuals with co-infections revealed seropositive individuals with anti-HBc (hepatitis B) and HCV (hepatitis C) antibodies, which is also shown in supported by previous reports from Brazil [20,21] and from other countries [17,19].…”

Lookback study of HTLV‐1 and 2 seropositive donors and their recipients in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

“…Patients with haemoglobin and bleeding disorders, chronic renal failure on haemodialysis, onco‐haematological diseases, and with acute bleeding are subjected to multiple transfusions, therefore are at increased risk for TTI (Vamvakas & Taswell, 1994; Wallis et al , 2004; Wells, 2004). This is indicated by studies of these specific populations, which confirmed this finding in Brazil (Covas et al , 1993; Carneiro‐Proietti et al , 1998).…”

“…Whereas the residual risk of transmitting hepatitis B virus (HBV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human T‐lymphotropic virus type 1 and/or type 2 (HTLV‐1/2 ) by the transfusion of screened blood is very small in United States and other developed areas (Schreiber et al , 1996; Couroucé et al , 1998; Laperche, 2007), it remains high in developing countries (Schmunis et al , 2001; Proietti et al , 2005; Carneiro‐Proietti et al , 2006). In Brazil, the reported residual risk for HIV and HCV is considerably higher than in the United States and Europe (Nogueira et al , 2002; Barreto et al , 2005), but there are few studies evaluating the prevalence of HTLV‐1 in transfused patients in Latin America (Covas et al , 1993; Carneiro‐Proietti et al , 1998; Schmunis et al , 2001).…”

Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and tropical diseases: a Brazilian perspective

“…Retroviruses co-infection: HIV and HTLV -HTLV infection has been described in the most different settings and groups of patients in Brazil (Carneiro-Proietti et al 1998, Pombo-de-Oliveira et al 1999, although there is a clear concentration of such infection in populations under double risk of parenteral and sexual transmission, e.g. injection drug users (IDUs) (Carvalho et al 1996, and specific regions of the country, such as the state of Bahia (Gomes et al 1999).…”