Patterns of migration indicate sexual transmission of HTLV-I infection in non-pregnant women in papua new guinea
✍ Scribed by L. Brabin; B. J. Brabin; R. R. Doherty; I. D. Gust; M. P. Alpers; R. Fujino; Joko Imai; Y. Hinuma
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1989
- Tongue
- French
- Weight
- 470 KB
- Volume
- 44
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0020-7136
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✦ Synopsis
The prevalence of infection with human T-cell leukaemia virus (HTLV-I) was studied in Madang Province on the north coast of Papua New Guinea. Serum specimens collected from non-pregnant women in 17 villages were tested for anti-HTLV-I by gelatin particle agglutination screening and confirmed b immunofluorescence and Western blotting. Overall, 13.9dof subjects were antibody-positive, with the prevalence of antibodies varying from <lo% to 30% in villages situated less than 10 km apart. Two groups of migrant women were identified, and in both a parity-related increase in antibody prevalence which occurred only after marriage suggested that the predominant mode of transmission in migrant women was sexual. There was no parity-associated increase in anti-HTLV-l in indigenous women, and in contrast to migrant women, nulliparous indigenous women had a high prevalence of antibody (16.8% vs. 0%; p = 0.005). Vertical transmission cannot be excluded in indigenous women. No correlation was detected between the prevalence of anti-HTLV-I and a variety of indices of malarial infection.