Brites Carlos, Tonto Prince Baffour, Vallinoto Antonio C, Dos Santos Oliveira Onayane, Simionatto Simone, Bay Monica, Reuter Tania, Gomes-da-Silva Monica M, Medeiros Melissa, Mayoral Rafaela, Luz Estela, Rocha Michael, Vechi Hareton, Herrera Bobby Brooke
Hospital Universitário Professor Edgard Santos, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, and Child Health Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, United States.
Front Public Health. 2025 Mar 3;13:1511374. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1511374. eCollection 2025.
Human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is highly endemic in Brazil, necessitating surveillance studies to understand its epidemiology. While previous research has focused on either specific cities or populations, there is a need for multicenter studies encompassing epidemiologically relevant populations to ascertain more accurate prevalence rates and predictors of HTLV-1 infection in the country.
We conducted a multicenter, cross-sectional study involving 3,184 participants across seven cities and five study populations in Brazil. Blood samples were collected, and the prevalence of HTLV-1 infection was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine risk factors of HTLV-1 infection.
Among the total study population, 1,135 (35.7%) were aged >40 years and 1,704 (53.5%) were female. The overall prevalence of HTLV-1 infection was 0.5% (95% CI: 0.3-0.8), with variation observed among the cities or study populations. Factors associated with HTLV-1 infection included age > 40 years (OR, 8.867; 95% CI: 1.824-43.099), female gender (OR, 4.604; 95% CI: 1.184-17.903), and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (OR, 13.995; 95% CI: 2.374-82.506). The identification of older age and female gender, coupled with the high prevalence of HTLV-1 in HIV-positive patients, suggests sexual transmission as the primary route of HTLV-1 infection.
Our study reveals varied prevalence rates of HTLV-1 infection across diverse populations and cities in Brazil. The association of older age, female gender, and HCV, emphasizes the need for tailored interventions to prevent HTLV-1 transmission.
1型人类嗜T淋巴细胞病毒（HTLV-1）在巴西高度流行，因此需要开展监测研究以了解其流行病学情况。虽然先前的研究主要集中在特定城市或人群，但有必要进行多中心研究，纳入具有流行病学意义的人群，以确定该国HTLV-1感染更准确的患病率和预测因素。
我们在巴西的7个城市和5个研究人群中开展了一项多中心横断面研究，涉及3184名参与者。采集血样，通过酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）和蛋白质印迹法确定HTLV-1感染的患病率。采用二元逻辑回归分析确定HTLV-1感染的危险因素。
在整个研究人群中，1135人（35.7%）年龄大于40岁，1704人（53.5%）为女性。HTLV-1感染的总体患病率为0.5%（95%CI：0.3-0.8），不同城市或研究人群之间存在差异。与HTLV-1感染相关的因素包括年龄大于40岁（OR，8.867；95%CI：1.824-43.099）、女性（OR，4.604；95%CI：1.184-17.903）和丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）感染（OR，13.995；95%CI：2.374-82.506）。年龄较大和女性的特征，以及HTLV-1在HIV阳性患者中的高患病率，表明性传播是HTLV-1感染的主要途径。
我们的研究揭示了巴西不同人群和城市中HTLV-1感染的患病率各不相同。年龄较大、女性以及HCV之间的关联，强调了需要采取针对性干预措施来预防HTLV-1传播。
