Seroprevalencia del HTLV-I en familiares de pacientes con paraparesia espástica (HAM/TSP y PEP) / Seroprevalence of HTLV-I in the family of patients with spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP and PEP)

The seroprevalence of HTLV-I was studied in parents, brothers, siblings and sexual partners of 147 patients with spastic paraparesis assocaited to HTLV-1 (HAM/TSP) and 84 patients with HTLV-1 negative spastic pararparesis (SP). Seroprevalence was 29.1 percent for HAM/SP and 0 percent for SP relatives (p<0.001); the last figure is similar to that of the general population. Seroprevalence in sexual partners was 65 percent, suggesting that sexual intercourse is the principal route of transmission. Likewise, seroprevalence in siblings of mothers with HAM/TSP or HTLV-1 positive was 17.6 percent, suggesting a high maternal transmission