Prevalence of HTLV-1/2 infections in Spain: A cross-sectional hospital-based survey.
The presence of antibodies to human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV) types 1 and 2 was examined in 5742 sera belonging to consecutive adult outpatients attended during June 2008 at 13 different hospitals across Spain. Overall, 58.8% were female. Foreigners represented 8% of the study population. Seven individuals were seropositive for HTLV-2 (overall prevalence 0.12%). No cases of HTLV-1 infection were found. All HTLV-2(+) subjects were Spanish natives, of whom six were coinfected with HIV-1 and five with hepatitis C virus (HCV). Moreover, all but one of the HTLV-2(+) subjects had been intravenous drug users. In summary, this cross-sectional survey suggests that the rate of HTLV infection in Spain is low, and is mostly represented by HTLV-2. Infected individuals are generally Spanish natives with a prior history of intravenous drug use and are coinfected with HIV-1 and/or HCV.
Treviño
Ana
A
Infectious Diseases Department, Hospital Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
García
Juan
J
de Mendoza
Carmen
C
Benito
Rafael
R
Aguilera
Antonio
A
Ortíz de Lejarazu
Raul
R
Ramos
José M
JM
Trigo
Matilde
M
Eirós
Jose M
JM
Rodríguez-Iglesias
Manuel
M
Torres
Alvaro
A
Calderón
Enrique
E
Hernandez
Araceli
A
Gomez
Cesar
C
Marcaida
Goizane
G
Soriano
Vincent
V
D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications; D015497:HIV-1; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015491:HTLV-II Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016174:Hepacivirus; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1; D015367:Human T-lymphotropic virus 2; D006801:Humans; D016399:Lymphoma, T-Cell; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
D000914:Antibodies, Viral