SEROLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR-BIOLOGICAL STUD IES OF HTLV-1 VIRUS IN TURKMENISTAN

Seroepidemiological and molecular-biological screening of 1510 donor b lood samples, collected from the residents of the town of Ashgabat (Tu rkmenistan), for lymphotropic virus of human T-cellular leukemia (HTLV ) virus revealed one donor with a high level of immune response to a w ide spectrum of viral proteins. Three donors were serologically assess ed as dubious, for their sera contained antibodies to gag gene protein but no antibodies to env gene protein. Screening of family members of the donor infected with HTLV-1 revealed four more highly reactive car riers of HTLV-1 virus. The presence of proviral sequences of HTLV-1 in the lymphocyte DNA of infected donor and her relatives was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction and subsequent Southern-blot hybridizatio n of specific amplification products. Proviral sequences of gag, pol, and LTR genes were detected in all the cases. Short-term culturing of peripheral blood lymphocytes of all seropositive subjects was associat ed with expression of HTLV-1 structural proteins. Analysis of the poss ible routes of transmission of HTLV-1 isolated in Turkmenistan permits us to hypothesize all Iranian origin of the isolated virus strain.