Taylor GP. The epidemiology of HTLV-I in Europe.
JOURNAL OF ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROMES AND HUMAN RETROVIROLOGY : OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL RETROVIROLOGY ASSOCIATION 1996;
13 Suppl 1:S8-14. [PMID:
8797697 DOI:
10.1097/00042560-199600001-00003]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Although human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) infection in Europe is thought to be unusual except amongst people who have immigrated from countries where HTLV-I is endemic, the screening of blood donors has revealed a low seroprevalence across Europe, not only in donors originating from endemic areas but also in the indigenous population. Data from blood donors should not be extrapolated to other groups because blood donors are selected to be at low risk of parenterally transmissible infections. Unfortunately only small studies have been conducted in other population groups, including women attending antenatal clinics, despite the importance of breast-feeding in vertical transmission. Data from metropolitan areas of the United Kingdom and France suggest that the seroprevalence of HTLV-I in pregnant women is up to 100 times higher than in blood donors. HTLV-I infection is also more common in patients attending sexually transmitted disease clinics, whilst HTLV-II is endemic in many cities amongst intravenous drug users. There are few incidence data for diseases associated with HTLV-I, even though cases of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma and HTLV-I-associated myelopathy have been described in many European countries. Data on the seroprevalence of HTLV-I in central and eastern Europe are scanty but the few published studies suggest a higher rate than has been documented in western Europe.
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