Molecular characterization of human T-cell lymphotropic virus coinfecting human immunodeficiency virus 1 infected patients in the Amazon region of Brazil

Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2005 Jul;100(4):371-6. doi: 10.1590/s0074-02762005000400006. Epub 2005 Aug 17.

Abstract

The present work evaluated the epidemiology of human immunodeficiency virus 1/human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HIV-1/HTLV) coinfection in patients living in Belém (state of Pará) and Macapá (state of Amapá), two cities located in the Amazon region of Brazil. A total of 169 blood samples were collected. The sera were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to determine the presence of antibodies anti-HTLV-1/2. Confirmation of infection and discrimination of HTLV types and subtypes was performed using a nested polymerase chain reaction targeting the pX and 5' LTR regions, followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequencing analysis. The presence of anti-HTLV1/2 was detected in six patients from Belém. The amplification of the pX region followed by RFLP analysis, demonstrated the presence of HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 infections among two and four patients, respectively. Sequencing HTLV-1 5' LTR indicated that the virus is a member of the Cosmopolitan Group, Transcontinental subgroup. HTLV-2 strains isolated revealed a molecular profile of subtype HTLV-2c. These results are a reflex of the epidemiological features of HIV-1/HTLV-1/2 coinfection in the North region of Brazil, which is distinct from other Brazilian regions, as reported by previous studies.

MeSH terms

  • Brazil / epidemiology
  • Female
  • HIV Infections / complications*
  • HIV-1*
  • HTLV-I Infections / epidemiology*
  • HTLV-I Infections / virology
  • HTLV-II Infections / epidemiology*
  • HTLV-II Infections / virology
  • Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / genetics*
  • Human T-lymphotropic virus 2 / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Phylogeny
  • Prevalence