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Evidence of HTLV-I infection in Singapore prostitutes
E H Sng1, T Thirumoorthy, A Levin
1Department of Pathology, Singapore General Hospital.
Sera obtained in 1987 from 63 male and 632 female Singapore prostitutes were screened for antibody to human T-cell leukaemia virus (HTLV)-I with a particle agglutination test. Of the 3 males and 4 females who were positive one had antibody to HTLV-I core and envelope antigen on Western Blot. Two subjects had presumptive antibody to HTLV-I core antigen and a third subject had such antibody on a repeat specimen in 1989. These sera were negative for HIV-1 antibody. There is evidence of infection with HTLV-I or a variant virus in this population. The infection is likely to have been sexually transmitted.
Sera obtained in 1987 from 63 male and 632 female Singapore prostitutes were screened for antibody to human T-cell leukaemia virus (HTLV)-I with a particle agglutination test. Of the 3 males and 4 females who were positive one had antibody to HTLV-I core and envelope antigen on Western Blot. Two subjects had presumptive antibody to HTLV-I core antigen and a third subject had such antibody on a repeat specimen in 1989. These sera were negative for HIV-1 antibody. There is evidence of infection with HTLV-I or a variant virus in this population. The infection is likely to have been sexually transmitted.