Human T lymphotropic virus type I/II infection: prevalence and risk factors in individuals testing for HIV in counseling centers from Southern Brazil

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to ascertain the prevalence and to investigate risk factors for human T lymphotropic virus type I/II (HTLV I/II) infection among subjects who tested for HIV at three counseling centers in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Methods: The authors conducted a cross-sectional study in which subjects screened for HIV were tested for HTLV. Socioeconomic and demographic data, social and sexual behavior, history of having been breastfed, and past blood transfusion or drug use were gathered with a standardized questionnaire.

Results: Among 2985 participants, 2.4% had HTLV infection confirmed (1.4% HTLV I). The risk increased with age, but there was no difference among genders. The multivariate model shows that injecting cocaine users were 5.2 (95% confidence interval, 2.5-10.7) times more likely to be HTLV I/II-positive than non-injecting cocaine users and HIV infection persisted as an independent risk factor.

Conclusion: Among persons presenting at HIV testing centers in Porto Alegre, Brazil, HTLV I was three times more common than HTLV II; injection drug use was the predominant mode of transmission.