title: Seroprevalence and risk factors associated with HTLV-I/II infection in injection drug users in northern New Jersey.
abstract: Data from an AIDS Demonstration Research project in Paterson, NJ, that enrolled out-of-treatment injection drug users (IDUs) were analyzed to detect demographic patterns and risk factors associated with infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and human T-lymphotropic virus types I or II (HTLV-I/II). Of 410 IDUs screened, 44.2% were HIV-positive and 19.3% were HTLV-I/II-positive. African-Americans were significantly more likely than other racial groups to be HTLV-I/II-seropositive and to be HIV-seropositive. Over one-fifth of African-Americans--but no Latinos or whites--were doubly infected with HIV and HTLV-I/II. In logistic regression analysis, African-American race, long-term injection drug use, and age were significant predictors of HTLV-I/II-seropositivity. While the associations between recent needle practices and HTLV-I/II-seropositivity fell short of significance, the trends in the data were consistent with a hypothesis that HTLV-I/II is transmitted through the sharing of injection equipment. Public health implications of the data are discussed.
authors.affiliation: New Jersey State Department of Health, Division of Alcoholism, Drug Abuse, and Addiction Services, Newark, USA.
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: French
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006800:Deltaretrovirus Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015367:Human T-lymphotropic virus 2 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D044469:Racial Groups; D012737:Sex Factors; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications*