Prevalencia de anticuerpos contra HTLV-1 en una población negra de Colombia

Abstract

Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 (HTLV-1) is associated with adult T-cell leukaemia (ATL) and tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP) or HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (HAM). Although the prevalence of antibodies to HTLV-1 has been described in several places, specially Japan, little is known about this virus-contact marker in our population. Here we report the absence of measurable levels of serum anti-HTLV-1 antibodies, as detected by ELISA, in an isolated blackpopulation of the Atlantic coast of Colombia. Our findingssuggestthat: a) this African descendant group has not been exposed tothevirus; b) it may be that some of the subjects included in the study are in the incubation period, but due to their youth, it was not possible to demonstrate any humoral response; and, c) as it has been described in other studies, the prevalence of HLTV-1 antibodies is also different in some regions of Colombia.