Human T Lymphotropic Virus Type 1 Subtype C Melanesian Genetic Variants of the Vanuatu Archipelago and Solomon Islands Share a Common Ancestor

Background. Melanesia is endemic for human T lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) subtype C. In 2005, we identified 4 infected women from Ambae Island, Vanuatu. Subsequently, 4247 Ni-Vanuatu originating from 18 islands were enrolled to define HTLV-1 epidemiological determinants and to characterize the...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of infectious diseases 2007-08, Vol.196 (4), p.510-521
Main Authors: Cassar, Olivier, Capuano, Corinne, Bassot, Sylviane, Charavay, Françoise, Duprez, Renan, Afonso, Philippe V., Abel, Myriam, Walter, Helene, Mera, Woreka, Martin, Paul M. V., Chungue, Eliane, Gessain, Antoine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Agglutination
Archipelagos
Biological Evolution
Child
Child, Preschool
Cross-Sectional Studies
Evolution
Female
Fluorescent Antibody Technique
Gene Products, env
Gene Products, env - genetics
Genetic Variation
Geography
HTLV-I Antibodies
HTLV-I Antibodies - blood
HTLV-I Infections
HTLV-I Infections - epidemiology
Human T lymphotropic virus 1
Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 - classification
Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 - genetics
Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 - immunology
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Infections
Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical
Life Sciences
Male
Melanesia
Melanesia - epidemiology
Microbiology and Parasitology
Middle Aged
Modeling
Molecular Epidemiology
Pedigree
Phylogenetics
Phylogeny
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Rural Population
Seroepidemiologic Studies
Species Specificity
T lymphocytes
Vanuatu
Vanuatu - epidemiology
Viruses
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background. Melanesia is endemic for human T lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) subtype C. In 2005, we identified 4 infected women from Ambae Island, Vanuatu. Subsequently, 4247 Ni-Vanuatu originating from 18 islands were enrolled to define HTLV-1 epidemiological determinants and to characterize the viral strains molecularly. Methods. Plasma from 1074 males and 3173 females were screened for HTLV-1/2 antibodies by particle agglutination (PA) and an immunofluorescence assay (IFA). Positive and/or borderline samples were then tested by a Western blot (WB) confirmatory assay. DNAs were amplified to obtain a 522-bp env gene fragment. Phylogenetic and molecular-clock analyses were performed. Results. Of 4247 samples, 762 were positive and/or borderline by IFA/PA, and 26 of them were confirmed to be HTLV-1 positive by WB. The overall HTLV-1 seroprevalence was 0.62%. Viral transmission was found within families of infected index case patients. A geographic heterogeneity of HTLV-1 seroprevalence was observed among the islands. All 41 of the new env sequences belonged to HTLV-1 subtype C. Phylogenetic and molecular-clock analyses suggested that Ni-Vanuatu and Solomon Islander strains emerged from a common ancestor ∼10,000 years ago. Conclusion. The Vanuatu archipelago is endemic for HTLV-1 with a diversity of subtype C variants. These strains were probably introduced into Vanuatu during ancient migration of the original settlers a few thousand years ago.
ISSN:0022-1899
1537-6613
DOI:10.1086/519167