Human T-lymphotropic retrovirus type-1 in Thailand

Abstract

Seroprevalence of antibodies to human T-lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1) was surveyed among the Thai population by the particle agglutination test and Western blotting test. None or a total of 727 individuals from seven ethnic groups were positive for the specific antibody to HTLV-I. Among hospital based 3,427 subjects in Southern Thailand, one patient with a brain tumor showed positively in the Western blotting test , however, HTLV-1 proviral genome was not identified by PCR. The present data suggest that HTLV-1 is not endemic in the Thai population and that HTLV-1 is not a major public health problem in Thailand because HTLV-1 rarely causes its associated diseases.