The seroepidemiology of human T-lymphotropic viruses: types I and II in Europe: a prospective study of pregnant women.
BACKGROUND
Up to 20 million persons are infected with the human retroviruses human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV)-I and HTLV-II globally. Most data on the seroprevalence of HTLV-I and HTLV-II in Europe are from studies of low-risk blood donors or high-risk injection drug users (IDUs). Little is known about the general population.


METHODS
A prospective anonymous study of HTLV-I and HTLV-II seroprevalence among 234,078 pregnant women in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom was conducted. Maternal antibody status was determined by standard methods using sera obtained for routine antenatal infection screens or eluted from infant heel prick dried blood spots obtained for routine neonatal metabolic screens.


RESULTS
Anti-HTLV-I/II antibodies were detected and confirmed in 96 pregnant women (4.4 per 10,000, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.5-5.2). Of these, 73 were anti-HTLV-I, 17 were anti-HTLV-II, and 6 were specifically anti-HTLV but untyped. The seroprevalence ranged from 0.7 per 10,000 in Germany to 11.5 per 10,000 in France.


CONCLUSIONS
Pregnant women better reflect the general population than blood donors or IDUs. The seroprevalence of HTLV-I and HTLV-II in Western Europe is 6-fold higher among pregnant women (4.4 per 10,000) than among blood donors (0.07 per 10,000). These data provide a robust baseline against which changes in HTLV-I and HTLV-II seroprevalence in Europe can be measured.
Taylor
Graham P
GP
Faculty of Medicine, Wright Fleming Institute, Imperial College, Norfolk Place, London, United Kingdom. g.p.taylor@imperial.ac.uk
Bodéus
Monique
M
Courtois
Françoise
F
Pauli
Georg
G
Del Mistro
Annarosa
A
Machuca
Ana
A
Padua
Elizabeth
E
Andersson
Soren
S
Goubau
Patrick
P
Chieco-Bianchi
Luigi
L
Soriano
Vincent
V
Coste
Joliette
J
Ades
Anthony E
AE
Weber
Jonathan N
JN
D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000276:immunology; D015481:HTLV-I Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D015482:HTLV-II Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D015491:HTLV-II Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
D015481:HTLV-I Antibodies; D015482:HTLV-II Antibodies