title: Spread of human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV-I) in the Dutch homosexual community.
abstract: Sequential sera of 697 homosexual men, participating in a prospective study (1984-1986) of the risk to acquire human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or AIDS, were tested for antibodies to human T-cell leukaemia virus (HTLV-I) by particle agglutination and immunoblotting. No intravenous drug users were included in this trial. Three men (0.4%) were HTLV-I antibody positive at intake and an additional 2 at the end of the observation period, resulting in an attack rate of approximately 0.3%. One of the 3 men with HTLV-I antibodies at intake was a Brazilian. One man had an acute HTLV-I infection after sexual intercourse with a Brazilian during holiday in Brazil. No serological cross-reactivity with HIV was observed nor a relationship with other sexually transmissible viral or bacterial infections. In contrast to HIV no relationship with anogenital intercourse was noted; both primary HTLV-I infected men practiced only orogenital intercourse. This suggests that HTLV-I was imported in the Dutch homosexual community after HIV was introduced in the Netherlands. HTLV-I appears to spread slower within the homosexual community than HIV and possibly by other routes.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000372:Agglutination Tests; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis* / Q000096:biosynthesis; D017977:Deltaretrovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D015480:Deltaretrovirus Antibodies; D006800:Deltaretrovirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission*; D006716:Homosexuality; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D015480:Deltaretrovirus Antibodies