Prevalence of Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus Type II Infection in General Population of Mashhad, Iran

Northeastern Iran، particularly Mashhad city، is an endemic area for human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-I) infection; although، there is no data available on the prevalence of HTLV-II in this region. This descriptive-analytical study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of HTLV-II using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method in general population of Mashhad.

From general population of Mashhad، 1678 individuals were selected using multistage cluster sampling. Serum samples were tested for the presence of HTLV antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay. To confirm HTLV-II infection، TAX gene and long terminal repeat (LTR) region were amplified using designed specific primers by nested PCR method.

From 1678 individuals، 1654 serum samples were taken، of which، 56 were positive for HTLV antibodies via ELISA method. All reactive samples were examined by nested PCR for the presence of HTLV-II provirus. None of the cases were positive for HTLV-II infection.

The results of present study demonstrate no evidence of HTLV-II infection in the general population of Mashhad. However، it is recommended to investigate the prevalence of the virus among high-risk groups، specially injecting drug users in this region.