HUMAN T-CELL LYMPHOTROPIC VIRUS TYPE-I AND TYPE-II INFECTIONS IN PATIENTS WITH LEUKAEMIA LYMPHOMA AND IN SUBJECTS WITH SEXUALLY-TRANSMITTEDDISEASES IN NIGERIA/

Serological assays that distinguish antibodies to human T-cell lymphot ropic virus types I (HTLV-I) and type II (HTLV-II), and polymerase cha in reaction (PCR) tests were used to investigate association of these two human retroviruses with several well-defined clinical conditions i n Nigeria. We compared the frequency of HTLV-I and HTLV-II infections among patients with lymphoproliferative disorders (n = 65), individual s with various sexually transmitted diseases (n = 40), patients with g enital candidiasis (n = 25) and apparently healthy individuals (n = 60 ). Serological analysis of blood samples from all four groups showed t hat 10 of the 190 (5.3%) individuals tested were confirmed positive fo r the presence of antibodies to HTLV-I (6) or HTLV-II (4). Using the P CR technique, specific HTLV-I or HTLV-II sequences were amplified from the genomic DNA of 4 of 6 HTLV-I seropositive and 3 of the 4 HTLV-II seropositive individuals respectively. However, sequences of both viru ses were amplified from the genomic DNAs of the remaining 3 seropositi ve individuals. Since one of the 5 sets of primer pairs [(SK 110 (II)/ SK III (II)], which is used for specific identification of HTLV-II did not amplify the target sequence from the genomic DNAs of any of the 4 HTLV-II-confirmed seropositive individuals in this study, it suggeste d sequence diversity of these viruses in Nigeria. The virus-infected i ndividuals identified in this study were one (1.5%) of the 65 patients with leukaemia/lymphoma (HTLV-I), 6 of 40 (15.0%) individuals (HTLV-I = 1, HTLV-II = 3, HTLV-I/II = 2) with sexually transmitted diseases ( STD), one of 25(4.0%) subjects with genital candidiasis for HTLV-I, an d 2 of 60 (33.3%) healthy individuals (one for HTLV-I and one for HTLV -I/II). There was a significant difference (P < 0.025) between the pre valence of HTLV-I/II infections among patients with lymphoma/leukaemia and those who attended STD clinic in Ibadan, Nigeria. This study also suggests that while HTLV-I and HTLV-II may be important sexually tran smitted viruses, they may not be specific aetiological agents of the c ommon lymphoproliferative disorders in Nigeria.