Human T Cell Lymphotropic Virus Type I Infection Among Female Sex Workers in Peru
Abstract
Human T cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) is associated with a variety of clinical syndromes, including adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma and HTLV-associated human myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis. The virus is endemic in souther western Japan, the southeastern United States, the Caribbean basin, South America, and parts of Africa. Patterns of age- and sex-specific prevalence of HTLV-I differ from country to country, suggesting different dynamics of transmission. The major routes of transmission are from mother to child via breast-feeding, through blood transfusion, and via sexual transmission. Among Japanese married couples, concordant seropositivity is much more common than expected by chance, transmission from man to woman is more common than from woman to man, and risk factors for transmission within serologically discordant couples include older age, high antibody titers, and presence of anti-tax antibody in the seropositive male spouses. In South America, recent information suggests that HTLV-I may be common in groups at risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STD). Including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Data regarding the risk factors for sexual transmission are limited and contradictory, although preliminary data suggest an analogy to risk factors for sexual transmission of HIV. The present study assesses the relationship of HTLV-I infection to sexual behavior and demographic variables and to STDs (including HIV infection) among female sex workers (FSW) attending an STD clinic in Lima, Peru
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA280525
Entities
People
- Carlos Carrillo
- Eduardo Gotuzzo
- Irving A. Phillips
- Joel Escamilla
- Jorge Sanchez
Organizations
- Naval Medical Research Center