title: Isolation and molecular characterization of a human T-cell lymphotropic virus type II (HTLV-II), subtype B, from a healthy Pygmy living in a remote area of Cameroon: an ancient origin for HTLV-II in Africa.
abstract: We report characterization of a human T-cell lymphotropic virus type II (HTLV-II) isolated from an interleukin 2-dependent CD8 T-cell line derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of a healthy, HTLV-II-seropositive female Bakola Pygmy, aged 59, living in a remote equatorial forest area in south Cameroon. This HTLLV-II isolate, designated PYGCAM-1, reacted in an indirect immunofluorescence assay with HTLV-II and HTLV-I polyclonal antibodies and with an HTLV-I/II gp46 monoclonal antibody but not with HTLV-I gag p19 or p24 monoclonal antibodies. The cell line produced HTLV-I/II p24 core antigen and retroviral particles. The entire env gene (1462 bp) and most of the long terminal repeat (715 bp) of the PYGCAM-1 provirus were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction using HTLV-II-specific primers. Comparison with the long terminal repeat and envelope sequences of prototype HTLV-II strains indicated that PYGCAM-1 belongs to the subtype B group, as it has only 0.5-2% nucleotide divergence from HTLV-II B strains. The finding of antibodies to HTLV-II in sera taken from the father of the woman in 1984 and from three unrelated members of the same population strongly suggests that PYGCAM-1 is a genuine HTLV-II that has been present in this isolated population for a long time. The low genetic divergence of this African isolate from American isolates raises questions about the genetic variability over time and the origin and dissemination of HTLV-II, hitherto considered to be predominantly a New World virus.
authors.affiliation: Unité d'Epidémiologie des Virus Oncogènes, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gessain
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mauclère
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Froment
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Biglione
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Le Hesran
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tekaia
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Millan
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: de Thé
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000906:Antibodies; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001483:Base Sequence; D044383:Black People; D002163:Cameroon; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017931:DNA Primers; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D015683:Gene Products, gag / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005814:Genes, Viral; D015486:HTLV-I Antigens / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015367:Human T-lymphotropic virus 2 / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D017931:DNA Primers; D015683:Gene Products, gag; D015486:HTLV-I Antigens