[Confirmation of the presence in Cuba of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I using the polymerase chain reaction].

The first cases diagnoses in Cuba as HTLV-I/II seropositives (human T lymphotropic virus) were studied by polymerase chain reaction aimed at differentiating the type of virus causing the infection. 3 kits of primer oligonucleotides were used and the amplification products were detected by hybridization with specific oligoprobes. 100% of the cases were HTLV-I positives. No HTLV-II positivity was found. It was confirmed the presence in Cuba of this retrovirus, even though the seroprevalence is low if it is taken into consideration that the Caribbean is an endemic zone for HTLV-1.