Molecular Epidemiology of HTLV in Amazonia

In Brazil HIV/HTLV co-infections are relatively high and are associated with risk factors such as sexual intercourse with multiple partners and the use of intravenous drugs. This book includes the results of my master's dissertation which aimed to assess the epidemiology of HTLV co-infection in HIV 1 seropositive patients from the states of Pará and Amapá using serological and molecular techniques. Phylogenetic analysis based on the nucleotide sequence of the 5'LTR region confirmed the occurrence of subtype IIc. The samples positive for HTLV 1 had an 800pb fragment of the 5'LTR region amplified and sequenced which showed an RFLP profile characteristic of the Cosmopolitan Group Transcontinental subtype. The results obtained reflect the epidemiology of the HIV 1 and HTLV retroviruses in Belém and confirm previous results that showed a higher prevalence of HTLV 2 in relation to HTLV 1 a fact that is different from other urban areas in Brazil.