Document 0201
 DOCN  M9650201
 TI    Prevalence of infection by human T-cell leukemia virus types I and II in
       southern Spain.
 DT    9605
 AU    Calderon EJ; Rey C; Medrano FJ; Sanchez-Roman J; Soriano V; Torres Y;
       Ruiz M; Lissen E; Leal M; Department of Internal Medicine, Viral
       Hepatitis and AIDS Study; Group, Virgen del Rocio University Hospital,
       Sevilla, Spain.
 SO    Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 1995 Aug;14(8):686-90. Unique
       Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/96089502
 AB    To assess the spread of human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV) type I and II
       in different population groups at potential risk of infection in Spain,
       a total of 756 subjects were studied: 453 belonging to groups at risk
       for retrovirus infection, 255 with diseases potentially linked to
       HTLV-I/II infection and 48 immigrants from endemic areas. An HTLV-I
       viral-lysate enzyme immunoassay (EIA) with a recombinant transmembrane
       envelope protein incorporated was used to screen serum samples. Reactive
       specimens were confirmed by Western blot strips spiked with recombinant
       proteins that differentiated HTLV-I from HTLV-II. Infection was then
       verified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Serum samples from 19
       of the 756 subjects analyzed (2.5%) were reactive for HTLV by EIA. One
       of these was from an intravenous drug user (IVDU) in whom HTLV-II
       infection was confirmed by Western blot and PCR; a specimen from another
       IVDU showed Western blot reactivity for both retroviruses, but PCR
       results were negative. Lastly, Western blot confirmed the presence of
       HTLV in one of the immigrant subjects. Western blot did not verify HTLV
       infection in the remaining 16 cases, indicating a high rate of
       nonspecific anti-HTLV reactivity when a second-generation EIA screening
       test was applied. These results suggest that HTLV is present in Spain
       among populations at high risk for HTLV, although at a very low rate and
       restricted to intravenous drug users and individuals immigrating from
       endemic areas.
 DE    Blotting, Western  Human  HTLV-I Infections/*EPIDEMIOLOGY/IMMUNOLOGY
       HTLV-II Infections/*EPIDEMIOLOGY/IMMUNOLOGY  Immunoenzyme Techniques
       Polymerase Chain Reaction  Prevalence  Risk Factors  Seroepidemiologic
       Methods  Spain/EPIDEMIOLOGY  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
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