Human T-lymphotropic virus type II among Guaymi Indians--Panama

Human T-lymphotropic virus type 2 (HTLV-II) is one of four retroviruses (i.e., HTLV-I, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 [HIV-1], and HIV-2) that are known to infect humans. During 1988, investigators from the Gorgas Memorial Laboratory (GML) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) tested serum specimens collected during 1978-1987 throughout Panama to determine the prevalence of HTLV-I infection (1), which is endemic in southern Japan and the Caribbean basin (2). HTLV seropositivity rates were low in all areas of Panama except among the Guaymi Indians in Changuinola (9%),* a city in western Panama (Figure 1). During 1989-1991, additional testing of 36 seropositive specimens from Guaymi Indians detected that the infections were due to HTLV-II (3,4). This report summarizes risk factor data for HTLV-II infection among Guaymi Indians.