PRELIMINARY-REPORT ON THE PREVALENCE OF SERUM ANTIBODIES AGAINST HTLV-1 IN CHILEAN ABORIGINAL POPULATIONS

Aiming to seek the origin and define the prevalence of HTLV - 1 infect ions, 464 blood samples from aboriginal populations proceeding from is olated regions of the north and south of Chile were studied. Antibodie s against HTLV were measured with agglutination tests and confirmed wi th immuno - fluorescence and Western Blotting. Seven out of 107 (6.5%) blood samples from Atacama indians, 2 out of 202 (1%) from Mapuche in dians and 3 out of 155 (1.9%) from Huilliche aborigines were positive. These results highlight an important presence of the virus in indigen ous populations, specially in the extremes of the country. These findi ngs could suggest an indigenous (mongoloid) origin of HTLV-1 In Chile, specially in Chiloe, where apparently there has been no contact with african or japanese populations, that could be the origin of the conta mination.