Reeves W C, Saxinger C, Brenes M M, Quiroz E, Clark J W, Hoh M W, Blattner W A
Division of Epidemiology, Gorgas Memorial Laboratory, Panamá.
Am J Epidemiol. 1988 Mar;127(3):532-9. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a114828.
Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) infection and associated hematologic malignancies cluster in Japan, the Caribbean basin, and Central Africa. The authors believe that this study of HTLV-I seroepidemiology in the Republic of Panamá is the first detailed analytic study of environmental factors pertaining to HTLV-I infection in representative tropical populations. The study analyzed observational data concerning housing conditions, family composition, and demographic and behavioral attributes as risk factors for HTLV-I infection (HTLV-I antibody). The 745 study subjects were residents of representative households in Panamá City and Colón. Overall, 5% of sera had antibody against HTLV-I, detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and confirmed by competitive binding. Housing conditions, race, and socioeconomic factors were not associated with infection nor did infection cluster in families. Interview of 706 women enrolled in cervical cancer studies documented that female sexual experience (number of marriages or sexual partners) was associated with HTLV-I infection. These findings support the hypothesis that HTLV-I is not transmitted by casual contact but requires exposures involving exchange of bodily fluids.
I型人类嗜T细胞病毒（HTLV-I）感染及相关血液系统恶性肿瘤在日本、加勒比海地区和中非呈聚集性分布。作者认为，这项对巴拿马共和国HTLV-I血清流行病学的研究，是首次针对热带地区代表性人群中与HTLV-I感染相关环境因素的详细分析研究。该研究分析了有关住房条件、家庭构成以及人口统计学和行为特征等作为HTLV-I感染（HTLV-I抗体）危险因素的观察性数据。745名研究对象为巴拿马城和科隆具有代表性家庭的居民。总体而言，通过酶联免疫吸附测定法检测并经竞争性结合确认，5%的血清含有抗HTLV-I抗体。住房条件、种族和社会经济因素与感染无关，且感染也未在家庭中聚集。对706名参与宫颈癌研究的女性进行访谈记录显示，女性性经历（婚姻次数或性伴侣数量）与HTLV-I感染有关。这些发现支持了以下假说：HTLV-I并非通过日常接触传播，而是需要涉及体液交换的接触。
