Human T-lymphotropic type-1 virus specific antibody detected in sera of HIV/AIDS patients in Ghana.

Serum samples from 124 acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) hospitalized patients at the Fevers Unit, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana, were examined by the particle agglutination test for antibodies to human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) core proteins. The subjects included 84 males and 40 females, aged 16 to 54 years. Specific antibodies were detected in only 14 out of the 124 sera samples, giving an overall prevalence rate of 11.29%. The incidence was lower in males (5.95%; 5/84) than in females (22.50%; 9/40) (P<0.05). In both sexes, the age distribution of subjects positive for HTLV-1 antibodies ranged from 35 to 54 years. The prevalence rate reported herein is too low to suggest an association of HTLV-1 with AIDS, though it may indicate an opportunistic infection of AIDS patients by HTLV-1. Whether HTLV-1 is an underlying disease association or whether HTLV-1 plays some auxiliary role in the acquisition and progression of AIDS remains to be determined.