Evidence for sexual and mother-to-child transmission of human T lymphotropic virus type II among Guaymi Indians, Panama.
Guaymi Indians, a non-intravenous drug-using population in which human T cell lymphotropic virus type II (HTLV-II) is endemic, were studied in Changuinola, Panama, to identify the prevalence and modes of transmission of HTLV-II. A population-based survey showed that 352 (9.5%) of the 3686 participants were seropositive for HTLV-II. Infection rates were the same for male and female subjects and increased significantly with age, beginning in young adulthood. HTLV-II infection status was highly concordant among spouses (P < .001) and between mother and child; of children aged 1-10 years, 36 of 219 born to seropositive mothers were seropositive compared with 3 of 997 born to seronegative mothers (P < .001). The strong associations of HTLV-II infection with age and with an infected spouse in adults and of infection in children with infection in their mothers strongly suggest sexual and mother-to-child transmission of HTLV-II in this population.
Vitek
C R
CR
Retrovirus Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333.
Gracia
F I
FI
Giusti
R
R
Fukuda
K
K
Green
D B
DB
Castillo
L C
LC
Armien
B
B
Khabbaz
R F
RF
Levine
P H
PH
Kaplan
J E
JE
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D015482:HTLV-II Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D015491:HTLV-II Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010176:Panama / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D015229:Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission*
D015482:HTLV-II Antibodies