HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 infections in patients with endemic mycoses in São Paulo, Brazil: A cross-sectional, observational study.

Background: Brazil is a country endemic for human T-lymphotropic virus 1 and 2 (HTLV-1 and HTLV-2), systemic mycoses such as paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) and histoplasmosis (HP), and aspergillosis (AP). The prevalence of HTLV-1/-2 infections in individuals with endemic mycoses in Latin America is unknown; however, an association between HTLV-1 and severe PCM and HP has been observed in Peru. Addressing this knowledge gap, we searched for HTLV-1/-2 antibodies in serum samples sent to the Instituto Adolfo Lutz, São Paulo, Brazil, for systemic mycosis diagnosis.