Abstract
INTRODUCTION:
We investigated the prevalence of human T-cell lymphotropic virus types 1 and 2 (HTLV-1/2) infection in patients with hematological diseases from the western Amazon region of Brazil.
METHODS:
Samples from 306 patients were submitted for the molecular diagnosis of HTLV-1/2 infection by real time PCR (qPCR), with amplification, sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis of the long terminal repeat (LTR) region.
RESULTS:
A 29-year-old male carrier of sickle cell anemia with a history of multiple blood transfusions was diagnosed with the HTLV-2c subtype.
CONCLUSIONS:
This study describes the first known occurrence of HTLV-2c in the urban area of Brazil’s western Amazon region.
Keywords:
Prevalence; Blood transfusion; Phylogeny; HTLV-2c; Amazon region