Prevalence of Human T-Lymphotropic Viruses 1 and 2 in Individuals Infected with Hepatitis C Virus in Belém do Pará, Brazil
Coinfection between hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human T-lymphotropic virus 1/2 (HTLV-1/2) remains poorly investigated in the Northern Region of Brazil despite its clinically important condition. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and describe the epidemiological and behavioral risk factors for HCV/HTLV-1/2 coinfection in Belém, Pará. This observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional study analyzed 192 samples from patients previously diagnosed with HCV: 127 participants recruited between May 2023 and June 2025 and 65 samples previously stored in the Virology Laboratory of UFPA. Data were collected through a structured survey. Serological screening for HTLV-1/2 was performed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and confirmed by INNO-LIA and molecular biology (qPCR). HCV/HTLV-1/2 coinfection was observed in 4 individuals (2.1%), of whom 1.6% had HCV/HTLV-1 coinfection and 0.5% HCV/HTLV-2. There was no statistically significant association when comparing the sociodemographic, clinical characteristics, or risk factors of HCV monoinfected and HCV/HTLV-1/2 coinfected individuals. Although the results show a low prevalence of HTLV-1/2 and HCV coinfection in Belém do Pará, they still reinforce the importance of including HTLV in testing protocols for patients with hepatitis C in the North region of Brazil.
Authors
- Luiz Fernando Almeida Machado (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4571-4715)
- Jacqueline Cortinhas Monteiro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9985-7906)
- Mauro Sérgio Moura de Araújo
- Rosimar Neris Martins Feitosa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2044-9350)
- Renata Santos de Sousa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5863-4143)
- Antônio Carlos Rosário Vallinoto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1135-6507)
- Izaura Maria Vieira Cayres Vallinoto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1408-8384)
- Marcos Daniel Mendes Padilha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2829-4819)
- Carolina Cabral Angelim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2195-0366)
- Greice de Lemos Cardoso Costa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8916-0283)
- Aline Cecy Rocha de Lima (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5887-3689)
- Andrea Nazaré Monteiro Rangel da Silva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9119-9953)
- Álesson Adam Fonseca Andrade (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2264-0493)
- Vitória Sahena Martins Souza Barbosa
- Fabiola Santos da Silva Matos
- Amanda Roberta Vieira Sacramento (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5572-0561)
- João Lukas Nunes Almeida
- Simone Regina Souza da Silva Conde
- Lorena de Carvalho Corrêa
- Samia Meneses dos Santos
Institutions
- Hospital Geral de Bonsucesso (BR)
- Centro de Pesquisas Oncológicas (BR)
- Universidade Federal do Pará (BR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease
- Published
- 2026-04-02
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed11040095
- Primary Topic
- T-cell and Retrovirus Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico