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Human T-cell lymphotropic virus types I and II infections in patients with leukaemia/lymphoma and in subjects with sexually transmitted diseases in Nigeria

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Summary

Serological assays that distinguish antibodies to human T-cell lymphotropic virus types I (HTLV-I) and type II (HTLV-II), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests were used to investigate association of these two human retroviruses with several well-defined clinical conditions in Nigeria. We compared the frequency of HTLV-I and HTLV-II infections among patients with lymphoproliferative disorders (n=65), individuals with various sexually transmitted diseases (n=40), patients with genital candidiasis (n=25) and apparently healthy individuals (n=60). Serological analysis of blood samples from all four groups showed that 10 of the 190 (5.3%) individuals tested were confirmed positive for the presence of antibodies to HTLV-I (6) or HTLV-II (4). Using the PCR technique, specific HTLV-I or HTLV-II sequences were amplified from the genomic DNA of 4 of 6 HTLV-I seropositive and 3 of the 4 HTLV-II seropositive individuals respectively. However, sequences of both viruses were amplified from the genomic DNAs of the remaining 3 seropositive individuals. Since one of the 5 sets of primer pairs [(SK110 (II)/SK III (II)], which is used for specific identification of HTLV-II did not amplify the target sequence from the genomic DNAs of any of the 4 HTLV-II-confirmed seropositive individuals in this study, it suggested sequence diversity of these viruses in Nigeria. The virus-infected individuals identified in this study were one (1.5%) of the 65 patients with leukaemia/lymphoma (HTLV-I), 6 of 40 (15.0%) individuals (HTLV-I=1, HTLV-II=3, HTLV-I/II=2) with sexually transmitted diseases (STD), one of 25(4.0%) subjects with genital candidiasis for HTLV-I, and 2 of 60 (33.3%) healthy individuals (one for HTLV-I and one for HTLV-I/II). There was a significant difference (P<0.025) between the prevalence of HTLV-I/II infections among patients with lymphoma/leukaemia and those who attended STD clinic in Ibadan, Nigeria. This study also suggests that while HTLV-I and HTLV-II may be important sexually transmitted viruses, they may not be specific aetiological agents of the common lymphoproliferative disorders in Nigeria.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Virology, College of Medicine, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria

    O. D. Olaleye

  2. Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, College of Medicine, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria

    C. C. Ekweozor & T. N. Onyemenem

  3. Department of Haematology, College of Medicine, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria

    I. E. Opala

  4. Laboratory of Viral Oncology and AIDS Research, University of Southern California, School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA

    O. D. Olaleye, Z. L. Li, Z. Sheng & S. Rasheed

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  1. O. D. Olaleye
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  2. C. C. Ekweozor
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  3. Z. L. Li
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  4. I. E. Opala
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  6. T. N. Onyemenem
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  7. S. Rasheed
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Olaleye, O.D., Ekweozor, C.C., Li, Z.L. et al. Human T-cell lymphotropic virus types I and II infections in patients with leukaemia/lymphoma and in subjects with sexually transmitted diseases in Nigeria. Archives of Virology 141, 345–355 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01718404

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01718404

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