Epidemiological determinants and PCR results in Central African inhabitants with a new and frequent HTLV indeterminate Western Blot pattern exhibiting mostly p28, p32, p36, and a shifted GD21

Material and methods In the framework of ongoing projets on HTLV-1/2 and related viruses in central Africa, we systematically analysed by WB, plasma from villagers living in south Cameroun. The studied group included 2155 individuals (mean age 44, range 2-90, 982 women/1173 men), either Bantous (1258) or Pygmies (897). All plasma samples were tested by WB (HTLV 2-4 MPD) with interpretation done according to manufacturer instructions. Only clear bands were considered as positive/informative. DNA extracted from buffy-coat were subjected to PCR using several primer pairs known to detect HTLV-1/2/ 3/4. Positive PCR bands were sequenced.