Prevalence and genetic characterisation of HTLV-1 and 2 dual infections in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in Central-West Brazil

Abstract

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) may impact the clinical course of tuberculosis (TB). Both infections are highly endemic in Brazil. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of HTLV-1/2 in TB patients in Central-West Brazil and to perform a genetic characterisation of the respective isolates. Of the 402 patients, six (1.49%) were positive for anti-HTLV and five (1.24%; 95% confidence interval: 0.46-3.05) were infected with HTLV-1/2. Genetic characterisation demonstrated that the four HTLV-1 isolates belonged to the Transcontinental subgroup A of the Cosmopolitan subtype a and that the HTLV-2 isolate belonged to subtype a (HTLV-2a/c). The prevalence of HTLV infection observed in this study is higher than that observed in local blood donors and the HTLV-1 and 2 subtypes identified are consistent with those circulating in Brazil.

HTLV‐1 and ‐2 in a first‐time blood donor population in Northeastern Brazil: Prevalence, molecular characterization, and evidence of intrafamilial transmission

“…The prevalence of HTLV‐1 (0.59 per 1000; 95% CI: 0.38‐0.87) found in this study was in line with rates demonstrated for other blood donors in Brazil (0.2‐1.1 per 1000) . All HTLV‐1 isolates from this study were classified as belonging to the Transcontinental (A) subgroup of the Cosmopolitan (1a) subtype, highlighting that this subtype is endemic in Piauí, as well as in the whole country …”

Human T Lymphotropic Virus and Pulmonary Diseases

“…This was also demonstrated in the Northeast Region of Brazil ( Moreira et al, 1993 ; Pedral-Sampaio et al, 1997 ; Marinho et al, 2005 ; Bastos et al, 2009 ) and in a study conducted in the Central-west region of Brazil, where the prevalence was higher than that observed in blood donors ( Kozlowski et al, 2014 ). In a study conducted with patients admitted to a hospital in Salvador, Brazil, 2 deaths were observed in HTLV-1 and tuberculosis coinfected patients ( Bastos et al, 2012 ).…”

“…The high prevalence of HTLV-1 among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PT) ( Moreira et al, 1993 ; Pedral-Sampaio et al, 1997 ; Marinho et al, 2005 ; Verdonck et al, 2008 ; Bastos et al, 2009 ; Kozlowski et al, 2014 ), high mortality rates among co-infected individuals, and increased likelihood of hospitalization and treatment for PT in patients with HTLV-1 ( Bastos et al, 2012 ) reinforce the hypothesis that individuals with HTLV-1 are at higher risk of infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( Marinho et al, 2005 ; Grassi et al, 2016 ).…”

Endemic transmission of HTLV-2 in blood donors from São Luís do Maranhão, northeastern Brazil: report of two asymptomatic individuals

“…A study conducted in São Paulo found a rate of 20.7% for HTLV-2a/b 13 and a rate of 0.24% for HTLV-2a/c was found in a population of the central-western region of Brazil in patients co-infected with pulmonary tuberculosis. 8 …”

“…HTLV-2 is endemic in some Indian villages and urban populations in northern Brazil, 7 in the state of São Paulo and in the central western region of the country. 8 …”