Trends of HTLV-I and HIV infections in drug addicts

• Published in: European journal of cancer & clinical oncology Vol. 24; no. 2; pp. 279 - 280
• Main Authors: De Rossi, Anita, Bortolotti, Flavia, Cadrobbi, Paolo, Chieco-Bianchi, Luigi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.02.1988; New York, NY Pergamon Press
• Subjects: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - epidemiology; Biological and medical sciences; Deltaretrovirus Infections - epidemiology; human immunodeficiency virus; Immunodeficiencies; Immunodeficiencies. Immunoglobulinopathies; Immunopathology; Italy; Medical sciences; Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Time Factors; Italy; Infection; Virus; Human; Immunopathology; Drug abuse; Viral disease; Retroviridae; AIDS; Risk; Hemopathy; Human immunodeficiency virus; HTLV-I virus
• ISSN: 0277-5379
• DOI: 10.1016/0277-5379(88)90267-2

The authors report here additional data which extend previous observations on HIV and HTLV-I infections. To evaluate the spread of both viruses in the Veneto region (North-east Italy) over the last 9 years, they investigated the seroprevalence of anti-HIV and anti-HTLV-I antibodies by Elisa and Western blot techniques in two separate groups of intravenous drug abusers. Group 1 consisted of 469 drug addicts hospitalized consecutively for acute viral hepatitis in the Department of Infectious Diseases of the City Hospital of Padova; these subjects had a history of drug abuse of less than 2 years. Group 2 included 1153 outpatients admitted to the same hospital for detoxification, starting from 1983; all had a history of drug abuse greater than 2 years, and most had serological evidence of previous exposure to hepatitis B virus.