[Infection with HTLV virus type I-II in patients with cervico-uterine cancer in the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico]

Southwestern Japan is an endemic zone with high prevalence of HTLV-I infection. In addition, a relation between cancer of the cervix and this retrovirus has been described. A recent study has demonstrated a low prevalence of HTLV-I/II infection in Yucatan, Mexico. However, cancer of the cervix is the most frequent oncological disease in this region. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between cancer of the cervix and the HTLV-I/II infection. Sera from 123 patients with cancer of the cervix and 662 healthy women were screened for antibodies against HTLV-I/II by ELISA and agglutination test (PA). Results were confirmed by Western blot (WB). In the confirmed cases the differentiation between HTLV-I and HTLV-II was made by synthetic peptides. Only one woman (0.8%) had positive results in the patients group and two women (0.3%) had reactivity in the control group. In all these cases the antibodies were positive for HTLV-II. The prevalence in the group of patients with cancer of the cervix was similar to that of the control group. We therefore concluded that in Yucatan, Mexico there is no relation between HTLV-I/II infection and cancer of the cervix.