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Publications

Journal Article Ppublish

PubMed: 42423354 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.71024

Molecular and Phylogenetic Characterization of HTLV-1 Infection in Patients With Hematological Malignancies in the State of Pará, Northern Brazil.

J Med Virol 98(7):e71024

Authors: Gabriel Dos Santos Pereira Neto, Ana Vilhena Alves, Bruno José Sarmento Botelho, Andrio Silva da Silva, Debora Monteiro Carneiro, Rommel Mario Rodriguez Burbano, Ricardo Ishak, Antonio Carlos Rosário Vallinoto, Izaura Maria Vieira Cayres Vallinoto

Affiliations

  • Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Brazil.
  • Postgraduate Program in Biology of Infectious and Parasitic Agents, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Brazil.
  • INCT-UroGen, National Institute of Science, Technology and Innovation in Genitourinary Cancer, Brazil.
  • Human Cytogenetics Laboratory, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Brazil.
  • Molecular Biology Laboratory, Ophir Loyola Hospital, Belém, Brazil.
  • Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Brazil. Postgraduate Program in Biology of Infectious and Parasitic Agents, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Brazil. INCT-UroGen, National Institute of Science, Technology and Innovation in Genitourinary Cancer, Brazil. INCT-VER, National Institute of Science, Technology and Innovation in Emerging and Re-emerging Viral Diseases, Brazil.
  • INCT-VER, National Institute of Science, Technology and Innovation in Emerging and Re-emerging Viral Diseases, Brazil.

Abstract

Human T-lymphotropic viruses 1 and 2 (HTLV-1 and HTLV-2) were first isolated from patients with hematological malignancies. This study was the first to investigate the frequency of HTLV-1 and its molecular diversity among patients with hematolymphoid cancers who were treated at a leading reference hospital in Pará, northern Brazil. For this purpose, information from the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), laboratory test records, and peripheral blood samples were obtained. Patients with confirmed diagnosis of leukemia/lymphoma, myeloma, other hematological malignancies, and those under diagnostic investigation were included in the study. Serological screening for anti-HTLV-1/2 antibodies was carried out by ELISA, and infection was confirmed by real-time PCR. PCR-positive samples were sequenced for phylogenetic analysis. Of 329 people assessed, 47.7% were men (157) and 52.3% were women (172). The overall prevalence of HTLV-1 was 1.82% (6/329), with 2.5% (n = 4) in men and 1.2% (n = 2) in women. Phylogenetic analysis of the 5'LTR region (715 bp) of HTLV-1 indicated that the isolates belonged to the Cosmopolitan subtype, Transcontinental subgroup. Positivity among patients with lymphoma was 6.56% (4/61), with one patient diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. Among patients under clinical investigation and with other types of cancer, the prevalence of infection was 1.19% (1/84) and 2.38% (1/42), respectively. A decrease in red blood cell count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit was identified in cancer patients with a negative HTLV diagnosis compared to HTLV-positive patients. Our results highlight the importance of including HTLV-1/2 testing in the routine follow-up of cancer patients, for the sake of existing successful treatment protocols.

MeSH

Human T-Lymphotropic Virus 1, Blood, Hematologic Neoplasms, Lymphoma, Neoplasms, Leukemia, Prevalence, Diagnosis, Infections