Prevalence and factors associated with human T-lymphotropic virus infection in military personnel

Authors

Keywords:

HTLV 1; HTLV 2; human T lynphotropic virus 1; human T lynphotropic virus 2; military personnel; prevalence

Abstract

Introduction: Human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) is a retrovirus endemic to some regions of Peru; it is associated with diseases such as adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma and tropical spastic paraparesis. Military personnel, due to their deployment and exposure, may constitute a risk group for sexually transmitted infections.

Objective: To determine the seroprevalence and factors associated with HTLV infection in military personnel.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 232 military personnel at a military base located in the central Andes of Peru. A structured questionnaire was administered, and a blood sample was taken for viral detection using an enzyme-linked fluorescent assay. Coinfections with HIV, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and syphilis were evaluated. Logistic regression was used to analyze associated factors.

Results: The seroprevalence of HTLV infection was 2.58%. Cases of coinfection with other viral infections were found. The 18-25 age group showed the highest prevalence (11.3%). A significant association was observed between a history of sexually transmitted infections and positivity for human T-cell lymphotropic virus (odds ratio: 4.3; 95% CI: 1.1–16.4; p = 0.03).

Conclusions: There is an intermediate seroprevalence of HTLV in the studied military personnel, most frequently associated with a history of sexually transmitted infections. The association found with other sexually transmitted infections reinforces the predominant role of sexual transmission in this context.

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Published

2026-05-11

How to Cite

1.
Montalvo Otivo R, Almora León K, Ochoa Sosa S, Rojas Dávila A, Lopez Peña J, Rodriguez Aliaga C, et al. Prevalence and factors associated with human T-lymphotropic virus infection in military personnel. Rev. cuba. med. mil [Internet]. 2026 May 11 [cited 2026 May 13];55(2):e026076918. Available from: https://revmedmilitar.sld.cu/index.php/mil/article/view/76918

Issue

Vol. 55 No. 2 (2026): April - June (In Progress...)

Section

Research Article

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Copyright (c) 2026 Raul Montalvo Otivo, Kelina Almora León, Salome Ochoa Sosa, Armida Rojas Dávila, Jorge Lopez Peña, Ciro Rodriguez Aliaga, Felix Acuña Guerra, Gabriela Camayo Vivas

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