ABSTRACT
Data on HTLV-I are scarce in several Southwest Indian Ocean islands except for La Réunion and The Seychelles. The two cases of HTLV-I have been confirmed by Western-Blot in La Réunion, among blood donors. In Seychelles (87 400 inhabitants in 2012), where blood donors and some other cases are screened, HTLV-I was confirmed with a line immune assay in 43 persons and at least 10-20 patients are known to have tropical spastic paraparesia or adult T-cell lymphoma associated with HTLV-I. In the south-west Indian Ocean, a possibly important other issue may be co-infection of HTLV-1 with the Strongyloides stercoralis roundworm, which is endemic in all countries of the region and which can sometimes lead to severe symptomatic infestation.
Subject(s)
HTLV-I Infections/epidemiology , Adult , Aged , Humans , Indian Ocean Islands/epidemiology , Middle Aged , Prevalence , Reunion/epidemiology , Seychelles/epidemiologySubject(s)
HIV Seroprevalence , HTLV-I Infections/epidemiology , Adult , Female , HTLV-I Infections/transmission , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Sampling Studies , Seychelles/epidemiologyABSTRACT
By transferring microfilariae of Brugia pahangi which had been born over a 24-hour period in the peritoneal cavities of jirds (Meriones unguiculatus) to the blood circulation of other jirds, infections of known age were tested for their ability to develop into third-stage larvae (L3) in mosquitoes Aedes aegypti. Microfilariae less than three days old were not able to develop to L3. Microfilariae which had been in circulation for three days to six months were capable of developing if ingested.
