HTLV-I IN AUSTRALIA AND OCEANIA - LONG-TERM RESIDENT OR RECENT IMMIGRANT

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) has a worldwide distri bution; infection rates of up to 14% have been found in Aboriginal com munities, but there is little evidence of typical HTLV-I-associated di sease. The strains among Australian Aboriginals and Melanesians are mo re closely related to each other at the molecular level than to strain s from Africa, Japan and the Caribbean basin. The clinical significanc e of these Oceanic strains of HTLV-I in endemically infected communiti es is unclear.