HIV/HTLV co-infection: frequency and epidemiological characteristics among patients admitted to an Italian hospital.

BACKGROUND

Human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma viruses (HTLV) and HIV share identical modes of transmission and co-infections may be detected in populations that are highly exposed to common risk factors.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

A total of 599 serum samples from HIV-positive patients attending our outpatient clinic during the last semester of 2000 were tested to assess the prevalence of HTLV co-infection in both Italian (n = 472) and non-European HIV-infected patients (n = 127).

RESULTS

72 samples were positive for HTLV-II. Most of the HTLV-II-positive patients were Italian (71/72, 98.6%) and 98.5% of them had acquired the HIV infection through use of intravenous recreational drugs.

CONCLUSION

These data demonstrate a high HTLV-II exposure among HIV-positive intravenous drug users in our area which was not previously considered to be an area of endemicity for HTLV-II.