Dataset Information

Revisiting human T-cell lymphotropic virus types 1 and 2 infections among rural population in Gabon, central Africa thirty years after the first analysis.

ABSTRACT: HTLV-1 infection is considered as highly endemic in central Africa. Thirty years ago, a first epidemiological study was performed in Gabon, central Africa, and revealed that the prevalence varied from 5.0 to 10.5%. To evaluate current distribution of HTLVs in Gabon, 4.381 samples were collected from rural population living in 220 villages distributed within the 9 provinces of country. HTLVs prevalence was determined using two ELISA tests and positive results were confirmed by Western Blot. The overall HTLV-1 seroprevalence was of 7.3% among the rural Gabonese population; with 5.4% for men and 9.0% for women. Prevalence of HTLV-1 differed by province, ranging from 2.3% to 12.5% into the rain forest. Being a woman older than 51 years represented a high risk for HTLV-1 acquisition. Hospitalization, operation/surgery, transfusion and medical abortion or fever, arthritis and abdominal pain are also significant risk factors. In addition, 0.1% of samples were found as HTLV-2 positive, while 12.0% had an indeterminate HTLV serological pattern. HTLV-3 and HTLV-4 were not found. Phylogenetic analysis was performed on 87 samples and demonstrated that HTLV-1 present in Gabon belongs mostly to subtype B, however the rare subtype D was also found. Altogether, our results demonstrate that almost thirty years after the first epidemiological study prevention of HTLVs infection is still an issue in Gabon.

SUBMITTER: Caron M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6201875 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Revisiting human T-cell lymphotropic virus types 1 and 2 infections among rural population in Gabon, central Africa thirty years after the first analysis.

Caron Melanie M Besson Guillaume G Padilla Cindy C Makuwa Maria M Nkoghe Dieudonne D Leroy Eric E Kazanji Mirdad M

PLoS neglected tropical diseases 20181025 10

HTLV-1 infection is considered as highly endemic in central Africa. Thirty years ago, a first epidemiological study was performed in Gabon, central Africa, and revealed that the prevalence varied from 5.0 to 10.5%. To evaluate current distribution of HTLVs in Gabon, 4.381 samples were collected from rural population living in 220 villages distributed within the 9 provinces of country. HTLVs prevalence was determined using two ELISA tests and positive results were confirmed by Western Blot. The o ...[more]

PMID: 30359373

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundHuman T-Lymphotropic Virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a human oncoretrovirus that infects at least 5 to 10 million people worldwide and is associated with severe diseases. Africa appears as the largest HTLV-1 endemic area. However, the risk factors for the acquisition of HTLV-1 remain poorly understood in Central Africa.MethodsWe conducted an epidemiological survey between 2013 and 2017, in rural areas of 6 provinces of Gabon, in a rainforest environment. Epidemiological data were obtained and blood samples were collected after informed consent. Plasma were screened for HTLV-1 antibodies by ELISA and the positive samples were then tested by Western blot (WB). Genomic DNA derived from buffy-coat was subjected to two semi-nested PCRs amplifying either HTLV-1 env gene or LTR region fragments.ResultsWe recruited 2,060 individuals over 15 years old, including 1,205 men and 855 women (mean age: 49 years). Of these, 299 were found to be ELISA HTLV-1/2 seropositive. According to WB criteria, 136 were HTLV-1 (6.6%), 25 HTLV-1/2 (1.2%) and 9 HTLV seroreactive (0.4%). PCR results showed that 146 individuals were positive for at least one PCR: 104 for the env gene and 131 for the LTR region. Based on both serological and molecular results, 179 individuals were considered infected with HTLV-1, leading to an overall prevalence of 8.7%. The distribution of HTLV-1 infection was heterogeneous across the country. Based on multivariable analyses, female gender, increasing age, ethnicity (Pygmy) and multiple hospitalizations (more than 5 times) were found to be independent risk factors for HTLV-1 infection. Furthermore, a non-human primate bite appeared to be marginally associated with a higher risk of HTLV-1 infection.ConclusionBased on state-of-the-art serological and molecular methods, we have demonstrated that rural adult populations in Gabon are highly endemic for HTLV-1. Our results regarding risk factors should lead to public health actions aiming to reduce HTLV-1 transmission.

Project description:BackgroundMalaria, filariasis, and intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) are common and frequently overlap in developing countries. The prevalence and predictors of these infections were investigated in three different settlements (rural, semi-urban, and urban) of Gabon.MethodsDuring cross-sectional surveys performed from September 2013 to June 2014, 451 individuals were interviewed. In addition, blood and stool samples were analysed for the presence of Plasmodium, filarial roundworm, intestinal protozoan, and helminth infections.ResultsIntestinal parasitic infections (61.1%), including intestinal protozoa (56.7%) and soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) (22.2%), predominated, whereas Plasmodium falciparum (18.8%), Loa loa (4.7%), and Mansonella perstans (1.1%) were less prevalent. Filariasis and STHs were mainly found in rural settlements, whereas a higher plasmodial infection prevalence rate was observed in the periurban area. The most common IPI was blastocystosis (48.6%), followed by ascaridiasis (13.7%), trichuriasis (11.8%), amoebiasis (9.3%), giardiasis (4.8%), and strongyloidiasis (3.7%). Hookworm was detected in one adult from rural Dienga. Adults had a higher prevalence of Blastocystis hominis and STHs, whereas Giardia duodenalis was more frequently observed among children aged below 5 years (P?<?0.01). The polyparasitism rate was 41.5%, with 7.0% Plasmodium-IPIs and 1.8% Plasmodium-STH co-infections. The multivariate analysis showed that living in a suburban area, belonging to the age group of 5-15 years, having none or a secondary education, or having an open body water close to home were significant risk factors for malaria (P???0.01). For STH infections, identified risk factors were drinking untreated water and living in a rural area (P???0.04). No significant predictors were identified for IPIs and malaria-IPI co-infection.ConclusionsThis study reports a high prevalence of IPIs and intestinal protozoa, but a low rate of malaria-IPI co-infections in the study sites. Improvements in the living conditions of the population such as adequate water supply and proper health education and sanitation should be integrated into control strategies for malaria, STHs, and IPIs.

Dataset Information

Revisiting human T-cell lymphotropic virus types 1 and 2 infections among rural population in Gabon, central Africa thirty years after the first analysis.

Publications

Revisiting human T-cell lymphotropic virus types 1 and 2 infections among rural population in Gabon, central Africa thirty years after the first analysis.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets