Htlv-1/2 Infection Among Pregnant Women In Argentina

TRENCHI ALEJANDRA; GASTALDELLO R.; BARBAS M.; IRIZAR M.; CUDOLA A.; GALLEGO S.

Montego Bay, Jamaica

Conferencia; 12th International Conference on Human Retrovirology: HTLV and Related Viruses; 2005

The International Retrovirology Association, The National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD and The University of the West Indies, Jamaica.

Background: In the low endemic areas of Argentina the prevalence of HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 among pregnant women is unknown. The objectives were: 1) To determine the prevalence of HTLV-1/2 and compare this prevalence with HIV and HBV prevalences among pregnant women registered at public health in the province of Cordoba (low endemics area). 2) To compare these prevalences with the ones for blood donors. Methods: 3.143 serum samples were screened by SERODIA and confirmation was done by in-house indirect Inmunofluorescense assay and Western blot. Statistical inference used: Fisher exact test, contingency coefficient and Goodman-Kruskal tau. Results: The prevalence of HTLV-1/2 among pregnant women was 0.191 ± 0.00857 which was similar to HBV prevalence (p>0.05). and smaller than that of HIV (p<0.05). The association between HIV and HTLV-1/2 (p<0.05) was low (CC = 0.0957, CTGK = 0.0092). The prevalence of three agents were higher among pregnant women than in donors (p<0.05). Conclusions: The prevalence of HTLV-1/2 among pregnant women is ten times higher than the prevalence found in blood donors. The later together with the HTLV-1 mother-to-child transmission efficiency suggest that studies should be designed in other low endemic areas in Argentina to assess the need for HTLV control in pregnant women.