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Review
. 2015 Jan-Feb;57(1):1-13.
doi: 10.1590/S0036-46652015000100001.

Origin and prevalence of human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) and type 2 (HTLV-2) among indigenous populations in the Americas

Arthur Paiva  1 , Jorge Casseb  2
Affiliations
Review

Origin and prevalence of human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) and type 2 (HTLV-2) among indigenous populations in the Americas

Arthur Paiva et al. Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo. 2015 Jan-Feb.

Abstract
in English, Portuguese

Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is found in indigenous peoples of the Pacific Islands and the Americas, whereas type 2 (HTLV-2) is widely distributed among the indigenous peoples of the Americas, where it appears to be more prevalent than HTLV-1, and in some tribes of Central Africa. HTLV-2 is considered ancestral in the Americas and is transmitted to the general population and injection drug users from the indigenous population. In the Americas, HTLV-1 has more than one origin, being brought by immigrants in the Paleolithic period through the Bering Strait, through slave trade during the colonial period, and through Japanese immigration from the early 20th century, whereas HTLV-2 was only brought by immigrants through the Bering Strait. The endemicity of HTLV-2 among the indigenous people of Brazil makes the Brazilian Amazon the largest endemic area in the world for its occurrence. A review of HTLV-1 in all Brazilian tribes supports the African origin of HTLV-1 in Brazil. The risk of hyperendemicity in these epidemiologically closed populations and transmission to other populations reinforces the importance of public health interventions for HTLV control, including the recognition of the infection among reportable diseases and events.

O vírus linfotrópico de células T humanas do tipo 1 (HTLV-1) é encontrado em populações indígenas de países do Pacífico e Américas enquanto o tipo 2 (HTLV-2) é amplamente distribuído entre as populações indígenas das Américas, nas quais aparenta ser mais prevalente que o HTLV-1, e em algumas tribos da África Central, sendo considerado ancestral nas Américas e transmitido à população geral e de usuários de drogas injetáveis a partir da população indígena. No continente americano o HTLV-1 teria mais de uma origem, sendo trazido na era paleolítica pelos imigrantes através do estreito de Bering, através do tráfico de escravos no período colonial e com a imigração japonesa a partir do início do século XX, enquanto para o HTLV-2 teria sido trazido pelos imigrantes através do estreito de Bering. A endemicidade do HTLV-2 entre os indígenas do Brasil tornam a região amazônica brasileira a maior área endêmica do mundo para sua ocorrência e a revisão da infecção pelo HTLV-1 em todas as tribos brasileiras apoiam a origem africana do HTLV-1 no Brasil. O risco de hiperendemicidade nestas populações epidemiologicamente fechadas e de transmissão a outras populações reforçam a importância de medidas no âmbito da saúde pública para seu controle, incluindo o reconhecimento da infecção entre os agravos e eventos de notificação compulsória.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Origin of HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 in the Americas. Based on the references 53, 116, 120 and 128.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 among indigenous populations of North America and Central America. Based on the references from Table 1.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 among indigenous populations of South America. Based on the references from Table 2.
None
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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