title: Evidence for sexual and mother-to-child transmission of human T lymphotropic virus type II among Guaymi Indians, Panama.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Retrovirus Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333.
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Vitek
authors.forename: F I
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Gracia
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Giusti
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Castillo
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Armien
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Khabbaz
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Kaplan
mesh_terms: 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*
chemical_list: D015482:HTLV-II Antibodies