Prevalence of infection due to HTLV-1 in remnant quilombos in Central Brazil

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of HTLV-1 infection among remnant black quilombo communities in Central Brazil. A total of 1,837 individuals were evaluated, among whom nine were HTLV-1/2 seropositive according to ELISA. All of them were positive for HTLV-1 by means of Western blot and/or PCR, thus resulting in a prevalence of 0.5% (95% CI: 0.2-1.0). The HTLV-1 infected individuals ranged in age from 11 to 82 years. The majority of them were females. Regarding risk characteristics, histories of breastfeeding, blood transfusion, multiple sexual partners and sexually transmitted diseases were reported by these individuals. The findings from this study indicate the importance of identifying HTLV-1 infected individuals, as a strategy for infection control and prevention in these remnant quilombos.

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus 1; Remnant quilombo; Central Brazil; Prevalence