title: Origin of HTLV-1 in hunters of nonhuman primates in Central Africa.
abstract: Of 78 Gabonese individuals who had received bites from nonhuman primates (NHPs) while hunting, 7 were infected with human T lymphotropic virus (HTLV-1). Five had been bitten by gorillas and were infected with subtype B strains; however, a 12-year-old girl who was severely bitten by a Cercopithecus nictitans was infected with a subtype D strain that was closely related to the simian T lymphotropic virus (STLV-1) that infects this monkey species. Her mother was infected with a subtype B strain. These data confirm that hunters in Africa can be infected by HTLV-1 that is closely related to the strains circulating among local NHP game. Our findings strongly suggest that a severe bite represent a risk factor for STLV-1 acquisition.
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur de Bangui, Réseau International des Instituts Pasteur, Central African Republic Unité de Rétrovirologie, Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Mirdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kazanji
authors.affiliation: Unité de Rétrovirologie, Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Augustin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mouinga-Ondémé
authors.affiliation: Unité de Rétrovirologie, Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lekana-Douki-Etenna
authors.affiliation: Unité de Rétrovirologie, Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Mélanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caron
authors.affiliation: Unité de Rétrovirologie, Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Makuwa
authors.affiliation: Equipe Oncogenèse Rétrovirale, équipe labelisée "Ligue Contre le Cancer" U1111 CIRI, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon.
authors.forename: Renaud
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mahieux
authors.affiliation: Unité d'Epidémiologie et Physiopathologie des Virus Oncogènes and UMR CNRS 3569, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gessain
mesh_terms: D000350:Africa, Central; D000818:Animals; D002521:Cercopithecus / Q000821:virology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005681:Gabon; D006071:Gorilla gorilla / Q000821:virology; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000821:virology*; D000882:Haplorhini / Q000821:virology; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008992:Monkey Diseases / Q000821:virology; D010802:Phylogeny; D011323:Primates / Q000821:virology*
keywords: Gabon; HTLV-1; STLV-1; human infection; interspecies transmission; wild-born nonhuman primate