Frontiers in Public Health (Mar 2022)

Prevalence and Risk Factors for HTLV-1/2 Infection in Quilombo Remnant Communities Living in the Brazilian Amazon

  • Wandrey Roberto dos Santos Brito,
  • Wandrey Roberto dos Santos Brito,
  • Greice de Lemos Cardoso-Costa,
  • Greice de Lemos Cardoso-Costa,
  • Lourival Marques Roland Junior,
  • Lourival Marques Roland Junior,
  • Keise Adrielle Santos Pereira,
  • Keise Adrielle Santos Pereira,
  • Felipe Teixeira Lopes,
  • Felipe Teixeira Lopes,
  • Bernardo Cintra dos Santos,
  • Aline Cecy Rocha de Lima,
  • Aline Cecy Rocha de Lima,
  • Isabella Nogueira Abreu,
  • Isabella Nogueira Abreu,
  • Carlos Neandro Cordeiro Lima,
  • Carlos Neandro Cordeiro Lima,
  • Sandra Souza Lima,
  • Izaura M. Vieira Cayres Vallinoto,
  • Izaura M. Vieira Cayres Vallinoto,
  • Eduardo José Melo dos Santos,
  • Eduardo José Melo dos Santos,
  • João Farias Guerreiro,
  • Antonio Carlos Rosário Vallinoto,
  • Antonio Carlos Rosário Vallinoto

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.871865
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10

Abstract

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Human T-lymphotropic viruses 1 and 2 (HTLV-1 and HTLV-2) are retroviruses that originated on the African continent and dispersed throughout other continents through human migratory flows. This study describes the prevalence of HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 infection in residents of 11 quilombo remnant communities in the state of Pará, Brazil, and the associated risk factors. A total of 859 individuals (334 men and 525 women), aged between 7 and 91 years, participated in the study. All subjects answered a questionnaire with questions on sociodemographic characteristics and on risk factors associated with HTLV infection, and blood samples were collected and separated into plasma and leukocytes. An immunoenzymatic assay (ELISA; Murex HTLV-I+II, DiaSorin, Dartford, UK) was used as a screening test, and positive samples were subjected to line immunoassay confirmatory tests (Inno-LIA HTLV I/II Score FUJIREBIO) and DNA extraction for subsequent real-time PCR to differentiate the viral type. Four of the 859 individuals were seropositive for HTLV. HTLV-1 infection was confirmed in one individual from the Itamoari community (0.92%), and HTLV-2 infection was confirmed in two individuals from São Benedito (3.17%) and in one individual from Arimandeua (2.22%). Blood transfusion was the only risk factor associated with HTLV infection in this study. This study reports the occurrence of HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 in quilombo remnant communities in the state of Pará. Considering the African origin of the virus and its introduction into Brazil from the slave trade, the continued evaluation of quilombola communities in the state of Pará is essential to better characterize the distribution of infections in these populations and to create public health policies for the control of the spread of the virus and associated diseases.

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