title: [Evidence of HTLV-1 infection in different groups at risk in Barcelona].
abstract: HTLV-1 was the first human retrovirus to be isolated. It has been shown that it is the causative agent of T cell leukemia in the adult and some types of subacute myelopathies. The virus is transmitted by similar routes as the AIDS virus. HTLV-1 infection is endemic in South Japan, the Caribbean countries and some African areas. The prevalence of HTLV-1 infection in our country is unknown in the general population and in the groups at high risk. We report the preliminary results of a study of 1279 serum samples from high risk individuals from the Barcelona area. ELISA and Western blotting were used to detect antibodies. We found evidence of anti-HTLV-1 only in 4 of 905 (0.44%) parenteral drug abusers and in 1 of 102 western Africans. Anti-HTLV-1 were not found in the remaining sera from 62 homosexuals, 53 patients with leukemia and/or lymphoma, 3 with idiopathic spastic paraparesis and 154 with multiple blood transfusions. These results suggest that HTLV-1 has a very low diffusion in our area. The 4 positive heroin addicts are the first reported in our country with evidence of HIV and HTLV-1 coinfection.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas (Servicio de Medicina Interna), Hospital de Badalona Germans Trias i Pujol, Barcelona.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Soriano
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tor
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ribera
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Clotet
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Muga
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pauplana
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Abellá
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Flores
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Foz
mesh_terms: D000354:Africa, Western / Q000208:ethnology; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications; D015481:HTLV-I Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006716:Homosexuality; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000150:complications; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D015481:HTLV-I Antibodies
vernacular_title: Evidencia de infección por el HTLV-1 en diferentes colectivos de riesgo de Barcelona.