Type‐I HTLV antibody in urban and rural Ghana, West Africa

Abstract

The prevalence of antibodies against the newly described human T‐cell lymphoma virus, type I (HTLV‐I) in two communities in Ghana, West Africa, is described. There was no difference by community (urban, 3.6% and rural, 4.0%). Prevalence increased with age, being 5.9% among persons >10 years old, but did not differ by sex. There was no difference when data were analysed by housing status or crowding. Non‐confirmed reactions in the assay system were frequent and correlated with both prevalence and titer of antibody against malaria. Possible explanations include vector‐borne transmission like that of malaria, but the relationship is more probably due to a polyclonal stimulation of B cells, enhancing the potential for detecting reactivity in the assay. Because assay systems vary and because most laboratories do not routinely use a confirmation assay, results presented by different groups must be interpreted cautiously.