Prevalence of HTLV-I compared to HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies in different groups in the Ivory Coast (West Africa)

Article Abstract:

Human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have very different epidemiological and clinical characteristics. HTLV-I is endemic in certain areas of the world, such as the Caribbean, southwestern Japan, equatorial Africa, and southern Italy. The virus affects the blood and nerves, leading to acute T-cell leukemia and chronic neuromyelopathies (disorders of the brain and nerves). There are two well-characterized types of HIV (the virus which causes AIDS): HIV-1, most common in Central Africa; and HIV-2, most common in West Africa. Individuals from the Ivory Coast, where the two epidemics of HIV interact, were tested for antibodies to HTLV-I, HIV-1, and HIV-2. The groups of subjects included healthy individuals, hospital patients, female prostitutes, and men with sexually transmitted diseases. The prevalence of infection with HTLV-I averaged from 1 to 2.7 percent in the different regions studied. There was not a significant increase in the groups with high levels of sexual activity, the prostitutes and males with sexually transmitted diseases. There was a significant increase in the prevalence of antibodies to HTLV-I in AIDS patients but not in HIV-infected individuals who did not have any symptoms of disease. The prevalence of antibodies to HIV-1 and HIV-2 was 2.4 percent in the general population but was 13 to 15 percent in blood donors and hospitalized patients and was 35 percent in prostitutes and men with sexually transmitted diseases. Therefore, infection with HIV, but not HTLV, is prevalent among individuals living in the Ivory Coast of Africa who have high levels of sexual activity, such as prostitutes and men with sexually transmitted diseases. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Health aspects, Sexually transmitted diseases, HTLV-I infections, Cote d'Ivoire

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Human retroviruses HTLV-I, HIV-1 and HIV-2 and neurological disease in some equatorial areas of Africa

Article Abstract:

The role of the human retroviruses HTLV-I, HIV-1, and HIV-2 in neurological diseases in Equatorial Africa was examined over a 18-month period, from July 1986 to January 1988. These three viruses are endemic in this area. HTLV-I, HIV-1 and HIV-2 are known to infect nerve cells and are associated with many psychiatric neurological disorders including encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), myelopathies (diseases of the spinal cord) and neuropathies (disorders of the peripheral nerves). Patients were examined for the presence of antibodies against these viruses. A total of 460 patients with neurological disorders were examined, including 94 with epidemic spastic paraparesis (ESP) from Zaire and Tanzania, 26 patients with sporadic spastic paraparesis (SSP), and 21 cases of tropical ataxic neuropathy (TAN) from the Ivory Coast, the Congo, and Tanzania. None of the patients with ESP or TAN had antibodies against the retroviruses. Four of the 26 patients with SSP had high levels of antibodies against HTLV-1. One of four patients with tropical spastic paraparesis had antibodies against HIV-1. Among the 319 patients with other neurological disorders, five (1.6 percent) had antibodies against HTLV-I, 32 (10 percent) had antibodies against HIV-1, and 14 (4.4 percent) had antibodies against HIV-2. There was a number of patients who had antibodies to more than one of the retroviruses, indicating combined infections. This study indicates that the retroviruses HTLV-I, HIV-1, and HIV-2 may be a significant cause of neurological diseases in Africa. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Causes of, Africa, Peripheral nerve diseases, Peripheral nervous system diseases, HTLV-I (Virus)

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Increase of the prevalence of hepatitis B virus surface antigen related to immunodeficiency inherent in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)

Article Abstract:

Carrying hepatitis B virus and HIV infection is common in the Ivory Coast of Africa. In 1987, a total of 2,191 serum samples were examined to determine if HIV-infected individuals were more likely to carry the hepatitis-B virus than were members of the general population. In the United States and Europe, HIV-infected individuals are, in fact, more likely to carry hepatitis B as well, presumably because homosexuality and intravenous drug use are risk factors for both diseases. However, the serological analysis of the Ivory Coast serum samples revealed that healthy HIV-infected individuals were no more likely to carry hepatitis B virus than other members of the population. However, the same was not true when AIDS patients were considered. Thirty-four percent of AIDS patients were found to be positive for the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), in contrast to 9.1 percent of the general population. The high prevalence of HBsAg among AIDS patients would seem, therefore, to be a direct result of the immunodeficiency rather than a correlation between HIV-infection and hepatitis B infection, as is observed in the United States and Europe. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Testing, Physiological aspects, Hepatitis B, AIDS (Disease), AIDS virus carriers, HIV carriers, Hepatitis associated antigen, Hepatitis B e-antigen

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