title: New strain of human T lymphotropic virus (HTLV) type 3 in a Pygmy from Cameroon with peculiar HTLV serologic results.
abstract: A search for human T lymphotropic virus (HTLV) types 1 and 2 and related viruses was performed by serological and molecular means on samples obtained from 421 adult villagers from the southern Cameroon forest areas. One individual (a 56-year-old Baka Pygmy hunter) was found to be HTLV-3 infected; however, there was a low proviral load in blood cells. Complete sequence analysis of this virus (HTLV-3Lobak18) indicated a close relationship to human HTLV-3Pyl43 and simian STLV-3CTO604 strains. Plasma samples from Lobak18, the HTLV-3 infected individual, exhibited a peculiar "HTLV-2-like" pattern on Western blot analysis and were serologically untypeable by line immunoassay. These results were different from those for the 2 previously reported HTLV-3 strains, raising questions about serological confirmation of infection with such retroviruses.
authors.affiliation: Unité d'Epidémiologie et Physiopathologie des Virus Oncogènes, URA CNRS 3015, Département de Virologie, and Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Musée de l'Homme, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Calattini
authors.forename: Edouard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Betsem
authors.forename: Sylviane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bassot
authors.forename: Sébastien Alain
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Chevalier
authors.forename: Renaud
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mahieux
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Froment
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gessain
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002163:Cameroon; D017977:Deltaretrovirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006800:Deltaretrovirus Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000821:virology*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000821:virology; D015491:HTLV-II Infections / Q000821:virology; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000235:genetics; D015367:Human T-lymphotropic virus 2 / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012191:Retroviridae Proteins / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D019562:Viral Load; D014766:Viremia
chemical_list: D012191:Retroviridae Proteins