Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1985. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Human T-cell leukaemia virus in Africa: possible roles in health and disease.
IARC Sci Publ. 1984;(63):713-26. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/85259985 Williams CK; Johnson AO; Blattner WA
Abstract:
Observation of clustering of adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma (ATL) in the coastal areas of southern Japan led to speculations about its association with an environmental agent. Human T-cell lymphoma/leukaemia virus (HTLV) was later identified as the probable causal agent in these and similar cases of lymphoma/leukaemia, which were subsequently observed in first-generation West Indian Black emigrants living in England and the USA, in the forest areas of South America and in some south-eastern states of the USA. HTLV antibodies have also been identified in cases of malignant lymphoproliferative diseases (MLPD) in Ibadan and Zaria in Nigeria and in the sera of cancer patients from various parts of Africa, thus indicating that Africa is a major region for HTLV infection. Evidence is presented of the association of HTLV infection in Africa not only with T-cell but also B-cell neoplasia, such as Burkitt's lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). The prevalence rates of infection in normal blood donors appear to range from 3.7% in sub-Sahelian northern Nigeria to 10-15% in the south-western rain-forest area of Nigeria.
Keywords: Adolescence Adult Antibodies, Viral/ANALYSIS Child Female Human HTLV-BLV Viruses/*ANALYSIS Leukemia/DIAGNOSIS/*ETIOLOGY Lymphoma/DIAGNOSIS/*ETIOLOGY Male Middle Age Nigeria Retroviridae Infections/*DIAGNOSIS Skin Neoplasms/DIAGNOSIS/ETIOLOGY T-Lymphocytes JOURNAL ARTICLE
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