HTLV-2B Strains, Similar to Those Found in Several Amerindian Tribes, Are Endemic in Central African Bakola Pygmies

Abstract

This study demonstrates clearly an HTLV-2 endemicity with ongoing transmission in an African population. Furthermore, it give insights into central questions regarding the origins and evolution rate of HTLV-2 and the migrations of infected populations.

A New and Frequent Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus Indeterminate Western Blot Pattern: Epidemiological Determinants and PCR Results in Central African Inhabitants

“…Lastly, no sample presenting a typical HTLV-2 WB profile was found positive by PCR. This confirms previous observations concerning the absence of this virus among Bantus and Baka Pygmies inhabiting this area (48). The significance of the observed HTLV-2-like WB pattern, however, remains to be elucidated.…”

“…Indeed, all the tested DNA from PBBCs of individuals presenting this new reactivity were found negative by using a battery of primer pairs, which can detect all the currently known HTLVs (12,13,62,72). The PCR methodology that we used allowed the detection of HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 in several previous studies performed in different populations living in Southern Cameroon (48). It led us also to describe two HTLV-3 strains in the same area (12,13).…”

“…Furthermore, some have been considered the results of cross-reactivity against other microbial agents, especially Plasmodium falciparum in Central Africa and Indonesia (31,41,54). Different projects on human (HTLV) and simian (STLV and foamy viruses) retroviruses have been set up in our laboratory during the last 2 decades in rural South Cameroon (9,12,27,48).…”

Molecular Epidemiology of Merkel Cell Polyomavirus: Evidence for Geographically Related Variant Genotypes

“…Thus, we have frequent access to healthy individuals living in villages of the western part of central Africa (14,15) and South America (16,17) and in patients from hospitals in Oceania (18) and Europe. In order to search for specific geographically related MCPyV genotypes, we tested many individuals originating from the five continents for MCPyV.…”

Application of PCR Technologies to Humans, Animals, Plants and Pathogens from Central Africa

“…However, HTLV-2 does not seem to be as prevalent as HTLV-1 in this region since in a recent epidemiological survey performed on 907 pregnant women, only one case of HTLV-2 was reported [122]. In Cameroon however, HTLV-2 seroprevalence was 2.5% in Bakola Pygmies, but no HTLV-2 infection was found in Bantus [124]. few as 10 copies of HTLV-3 or HTLV-4 sequences of the gene pol in a small amount of DNA from human peripheral blood lymphocytes [125].…”