title: Detection of HTLV-I and HTLV-II infection in Africans using type-specific envelope peptides.
abstract: Antibodies to HTLV were determined in 4,630 black African individuals from Zaire, Ghana and South Africa; 185 (4%) were confirmed as seropositive. Seroprevalance was 0.2% in a group of South African women, 0.9% among Ghanaian refugees in Belgium and from less than 1% to over 15% in various sites and populations in Zaire. With the use of HTLV-I and HTLV-II type-specific envelope peptides, 93% of confirmed HTLV seropositives were classified as HTLV-I. Five persons from the Haut Zaire region had HTLV-II serological reactivities, suggesting the presence of HTLV-II or a related retrovirus in central Africa. A cluster of HTLV-I-like indeterminate western blot patterns lacking anti-p24 antibody was found in Bas Zaire.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Rega Institute, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Goubau
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Desmyter
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Swanson
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reynders
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Surmont
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kazadi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D015153:Blotting, Western; D015480:Deltaretrovirus Antibodies / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D015485:Deltaretrovirus Antigens / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology*; D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo / Q000453:epidemiology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D015686:Gene Products, env / Q000276:immunology; D005869:Ghana / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D015491:HTLV-II Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000276:immunology; D015367:Human T-lymphotropic virus 2 / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D015682:Retroviridae Proteins, Oncogenic / Q000276:immunology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D054299:env Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
chemical_list: D015480:Deltaretrovirus Antibodies; D015485:Deltaretrovirus Antigens; D015686:Gene Products, env; D015682:Retroviridae Proteins, Oncogenic; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D054299:env Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; C055266:gp46 protein, Human T-cell leukemia virus type I; C069568:gp46 protein, Human immunodeficiency virus 2