Long-term serological follow-up of blood donors with an HTLV-indeterminate western blot: antibody profile of seroconverters and individuals with false reactions.

The high proportion of indeterminate results of the screening test for human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV) infection has been a challenge worldwide. In this study, 60 persons with seroindeterminate results for HTLV were followed until their serological status was defined. At least two independent serological tests (EIA and WB) from sequential samples were performed at an average interval of 4.

HTLV-2 horizontal and vertical transmission in a family from a Brazilian urban area: seroepidemiological, clinical and molecular study.

Human T cell lymphotropic virus type 2 (HTLV-2) has been shown to be endemic in Brazilian Indians and among intravenous drug users in urban areas, but transmission of this infection seems to be infrequent in the general population living in urban areas in Brazil. Six persons in three generations of a Brazilian family were evaluated to assess HTLV-2 transmission and its molecular features in the positive cases. The index was detected during screening (HTLV EIA) of donated blood in Fundação Hemominas, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.