HTLV-1 cosmopolitan and HTLV-2 subtype b among pregnant women of non-endemic areas of Argentina

BERINI C; DELFINO C; TORRES O; GARCIA GABRIELA; ESPEJO R; PIANCCIOLA L; JUAREZ M; ARRIBERE GRACIELA; NADAL M; EIRIN ME; BIGLIONE MM

SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS

B M J PUBLISHING GROUP

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2013 vol. 89 p. 333 - 335

1368-4973

Objectives The objective of this study was to estimatethe prevalence of human T cell lymphotropic virus(HTLV)-1/2, HIV-1, hepatitis B virus (HBV), Trypanosomacruzi, Treponema pallidum and Toxoplasma gondiiinfections and to identify the subtypes/subgroups ofHTLV-1/2 among pregnant women (PW) from nonendemicprovinces of Argentina.Methods Methods A total of 2403 samples werescreened for HTLV-1/2 and confirmed by western blotand PCR. The long terminal repeat (LTR) of HTLV-1 andHTLV-2 were amplified. Phylogenetic analysis wasperformed by Neighbour Joining by using molecularevolutionary genetics analysis (MEGA) 4.0.Results Among a total of 2403 PW studied, 6 (0.25%)tested positive for HTLV-1/2 (3 HTLV-1 (0.12%) and 3HTLV-2 (0.12%)). The total prevalence when distributedby province was 0.3% (3/804) for Buenos Aires (BA),0.4% (1/241) for BA surroundings, 0.1% (1/707) forNeuquen and 1.0% (1/95) for Ushuaia. In San Juan, noPW were HTLV-1/2 positive. The prevalence was similarwhen compared with rates among blood donors of thesame areas and years. The phylogenetic analysisclassified one sequence as HTLV-1 aA and one asHTLV-2b. The prevalence of HIV-1, HBV, T cruzi, Tpallidum and T gondii was 0.6%, 0.2%, 1.4%, 1.2% and20.9%, respectively. One case of HTLV-1/HIV-1 and oneof HTLV-2/HIV-1 co-infection were detected.Conclusions HTLV-1/2, which have been associatedwith different diseases, are circulating among PW ofArgentina, even in non-endemic areas. Therefore, testingshould be recommended in women who have risk factorsfor these infections given that the majority of HTLV-1/2mother to child transmission can be prevented by theavoidance of breast feeding.