title: Endemic infection with HTLV-IIB in Venezuelan Indians: molecular characterization.
abstract: The peripheral blood of 41 Yaruro and Guahibo Indians from Venezuela was examined for HTLV antibodies and DNA. Twenty-five samples (61%) were found to be infected with HTLV-IIB. The sensitivities of the serologic and DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses were 80% and 96%, respectively. Epidemiologic studies supported both sexual and perinatal transmission of the virus. Sequence analyses of the HTLV-IIB strains from these Indians indicate that they are unique relative to HTLV-II detected in other groups of humans. HTLV-IIB-G2 isolated from a Guahibo Indian is the most divergent HTLV-IIB strain relative to the prototype HTLV-II NRA.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Central University of Venezuela, Caracas.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leon-Ponte
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Echeverria de Perez
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bianco
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hengst
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dube
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Love
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Poiesz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D006224:Cricetinae; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious; D015491:HTLV-II Infections / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000635:transmission; D015367:Human T-lymphotropic virus 2 / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007199:Indians, South American; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010375:Pedigree; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014687:Venezuela / Q000453:epidemiology