First report on human T-lymphotropic virus 1 infection in a group of transgender women

• Published in: Frontiers in public health Vol. 12
• Main Authors: Carneiro, Megmar Aparecida dos Santos, Margarida, Mykaella Cristina Araújo, Silva, Bruno Vinícius Diniz e, Silva, Ágabo Macedo da Costa e, Matos, Márcia Alves Dias de, Caetano, Karlla Antonieta Amorim, Teles, Sheila Araújo, Vallinoto, Antonio Carlos Rosário, Martins, Regina Maria Bringel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A 30.10.2024
• Subjects: Brazil; HTLV-1; prevalence; RDS; transgender women
• ISSN: 2296-2565; 2296-2565
• DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1459707

Introduction There is a lack of data on human T-lymphotropic virus 1 (HTLV-1) infection among transgender women (TGW). Therefore, this study estimated the prevalence of HTLV-1 infection in a group of TGW in Brazil. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 235 TGW in Goiânia City, Central Brazil. Respondent-driven sampling was used for recruitment. All participants were interviewed, and serum samples were tested for anti-HTLV-1/2 using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA; Murex HTLV-I + II, DiaSorin, Dartford, United Kingdom). Seropositive samples were submitted for confirmation by Western blot (WB; MP Diagnostics HTLV BLOT 2.4 test, MP Biomedicals, Germany). Results The majority of participants were young (≤ 25 years old), self-declared mixed or brown ethnicity, single, had attended high school, and had a monthly income above US$ 255 (R$ 1,000,00; nearly the minimum wage in Brazil at the time). Most reported earlier age at first sex and various risk behaviors for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Three TGW were anti-HTLV-1/2 positive by ELISA and were subsequently positive for HTLV-1 by WB, giving a crude HTLV-1 seroprevalence of 1.3%; 1.0% (95% CI: 0.0–1.9) after being weighted by RDS Analysis Tool (RDSAT). The HTLV-1 seropositive TGW reported high-risk sexual behaviors. In addition, one of them also engaged in injecting drug use. Conclusion These data indicate the circulation of HTLV-1 in TGW in Goiânia City, Central Brazil. Given the alarming estimates of high-risk sexual behaviors, there is an urgent need to intensify health programs targeting this population to control and prevent HTLV-1 and other STIs effectively.