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Seroepidemiology of Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus Type I Infection in Taiwan¹

Departments of Internal Medicine [C-H. L.], Public Health [C-J. C., S-L. Y.], Clinical Pathology [C-H. W., C-Y. H.], and Bacteriology [C-T. C., C-S. Y.], National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China 100; Department of Cancer Biology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 [M-J. C., M. E.]; and National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892 [W. A. B.]

The epidemiological characteristics of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I infection in Taiwan have been explored by an island-wide community-based survey, which was carried out among residents in 19 townships and metropolitan precincts randomly selected through stratified sampling. Serum specimens of 7278 healthy subjects were screened by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and confirmed by Western blot method. At total of 103 subjects showed positive or weak reactions by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, but only 35 of them were confirmed to be positive by Western blot analysis. The anti-human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I antibody positive rate was 4.81/1000. The seropositive rate increased with age in both males and females, and females had a greater seropositive rate than males for all the age groups. Aborigines and Hakka Taiwanese had higher seropositive rates than Fukien Taiwanese and Mainland Chinese. Those people with lower educational levels were found to be associated with higher anti-human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I seropositive rates.

¹ This study was supported by the National Science Council, Republic of China (NSC-75-0412-B002-52).

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed, at National Taiwan University College of Medicine, 1, Jen-Ai Rd. Sec. 1, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.

Received 1/25/88. Revised 5/25/88. Accepted 6/ 3/88.