High rate of infection with the human T-cell leukemia retrovirus type II in four Indian populations of Argentina.
Sera from 215 non-drug-injecting Toba and Mataco-Mataguayo pure Indians belonging to four communities in northern Argentina were examined using assays that allow differentiation between reactivities due to type-specific antigens of the human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus (HTLV). Three of these populations have very little contact with non-Indian groups and reside in remote, isolated areas. HTLV-II type-specific seroreactivity was present in 24 (13.7%) of the 175 Indians older than 13 years of age and in none of the 40 who were of younger ages. None of the Indians had antibodies reacting with HTLV-I type-specific antigen. Seroreactivity was more prevalent and appeared at younger ages in females than in males. The majority of the HTLV-II-seropositive Indians belonged to the more isolated communities. The seroprevalences among the Tobas and Mataco-Mataguayo Indians were comparable. With the exception of a Toba who was positive in a test for Treponema pallidum, no serological evidence of sexually transmitted infections with this spirochete, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and human immunodeficiency virus was found among the Indians tested. None of the 55 non-Indian people tested in the region showed HTLV-II type-specific seroreactivity. PCR analysis of DNA isolated from peripheral blood lymphocytes of seropositive Indians confirmed that the virus present in these populations is HTLV-II. Sequence analysis of PCR-amplified genomic segments showed that the virus belongs to the HTLV-II subtype which has been found to be endemic in other Paleo-American Indians.
Ferrer
J F
JF
Comparative Leukemia and Retrovirus Unit, University of Pennsylvania, Kennett Square 19348-1692.
Del Pino
N
N
Esteban
E
E
Sherman
M P
MP
Dube
S
S
Dube
D K
DK
Basombrio
M A
MA
Pimentel
E
E
Segovia
A
A
Quirulas
S
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001118:Argentina / Q000453:epidemiology; D001483:Base Sequence; D002648:Child; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005260:Female; D015751:Genes, pol; D015491:HTLV-II Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D015367:Human T-lymphotropic virus 2 / Q000145:classification*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007199:Indians, South American; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
D000914:Antibodies, Viral