INTRODUCTION: In Brazil, studies have shown that HTLV seroprevalence among pregnant women varies from 0 to 1.8%. However, this seroprevalence was unknown in the State of Pará, Brazil. The present study describes, for the first time, the HTLV seroprevalence among pregnant women from the State of Pará, Northern Brazil. METHODS: 13,382 pregnant women were submitted to HTLV screening during prenatal care, and those with non-seronegative results to anti-HTLV were submitted to Western blot (WB) test to confirm and separate HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 carriers. RESULTS: HTLV seroprevalence in the population of pregnant women was 0.3%, and HTLV-1 was identified in 95.3% of patients. The demographic profile of HTLV carriers was as follows: women with age between 20 and 40 years old (78.4%); residing in the metropolitan region of Belém, Pará (67.6%); and with educational level of high school (56.8%). Other variables related to infection were as follows: beginning of sexual intercourse between the age of 12 and 18 years old (64.9%) and have being breastfed for more than 6 months (51.4%). Most of the women studied had at least two previous pregnancies (35.1%) and no abortion (70.3%). Coinfections (syphilis and HIV) were found in 10.8% (4/37) of these pregnant women. CONCLUSIONS: Seroprevalence of HTLV infection in pregnant women assisted in basic health units from the State of Pará, Northern Brazil, was 0.3% similar to those described in other Brazilian studies. The variables related to infection were important indicators in identifying pregnant women with a higher tendency to HTLV seropositivity, being a strategy for disease control and prevention, avoiding vertical transmission.
INTRODUCTION: In Brazil, studies have shown that HTLV seroprevalence among pregnant women varies from 0 to 1.8%. However, this seroprevalence was unknown in the State of Pará, Brazil. The present study describes, for the first time, the HTLV seroprevalence among pregnant women from the State of Pará, Northern Brazil. METHODS: 13,382 pregnant women were submitted to HTLV screening during prenatal care, and those with non-seronegative results to anti-HTLV were submitted to Western blot (WB) test to confirm and separate HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 carriers. RESULTS: HTLV seroprevalence in the population of pregnant women was 0.3%, and HTLV-1 was identified in 95.3% of patients. The demographic profile of HTLV carriers was as follows: women with age between 20 and 40 years old (78.4%); residing in the metropolitan region of Belém, Pará (67.6%); and with educational level of high school (56.8%). Other variables related to infection were as follows: beginning of sexual intercourse between the age of 12 and 18 years old (64.9%) and have being breastfed for more than 6 months (51.4%). Most of the women studied had at least two previous pregnancies (35.1%) and no abortion (70.3%). Coinfections (syphilis and HIV) were found in 10.8% (4/37) of these pregnant women. CONCLUSIONS: Seroprevalence of HTLV infection in pregnant women assisted in basic health units from the State of Pará, Northern Brazil, was 0.3% similar to those described in other Brazilian studies. The variables related to infection were important indicators in identifying pregnant women with a higher tendency to HTLV seropositivity, being a strategy for disease control and prevention, avoiding vertical transmission.
Authors: Maria de Fátima Castro Mendes; José de Ribamar Oliveira Lima; Bruna de Oliveira de Melo; Conceição de Maria Fernandes da Silva Pinto; Hermerson Sousa Maia; Thiago Azevedo Feitosa Ferro; Silvio Gomes Monteiro; Edel Figueiredo Barbosa Stancioli; Maria Rosa Quaresma Bomfim Journal: Braz J Microbiol Date: 2020-01-28 Impact factor: 2.476
Authors: Denise Leite Maia Monteiro; Stella Regina Taquette; Danielle Bittencourt Sodré Barmpas; Nádia Cristina P Rodrigues; Sérgio A M Teixeira; Lucia Helena C Villela; Márcio Neves Bóia; Alexandre José Baptista Trajano Journal: PLoS Negl Trop Dis Date: 2014-09-04
Authors: Danielle Bittencourt Sodré Barmpas; Denise Leite Maia Monteiro; Stella Regina Taquette; Nádia Cristina Pinheiro Rodrigues; Alexandre José Baptista Trajano; Juliana de Castro Cunha; Camila Lattanzi Nunes; Lucia Helena Cavalheiro Villela; Sérgio A M Teixeira; Denise Cardoso das Neves Sztajnbok; Márcio Neves Bóia Journal: PLoS Negl Trop Dis Date: 2019-06-10