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Ethnic composition, age and sex, together with location and standard of housing as determinants of HLTV‐I infection in an urban trinidadian community
Author(s) -
Miller George J.,
Pegram Susan M.,
Kirkwood Betty R.,
Beckles Gloria L. A.,
Byam Neville T. A.,
Clayden Susan A.,
Kinlen Leo J.,
Chan Li C.,
Carson Deborah C.,
Greaves Melvyn F.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.2910380604
Subject(s) - demography , ethnic group , ethnic composition , african descent , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , transmission (telecommunications) , medicine , gerontology , immunology , sociology , population , anthropology , electrical engineering , engineering
The presence of antibody to human T‐cell leukaemia virus (HLTV‐I) has been assessed in 2,143 men and women who represent 83% of all adults aged 35 to 69 years resident in a defined urban community in Trinidad. Individuals of African descent had a higher sero‐positivity rate (7.0%) than those originating from India (1.4%), Europe (0%) or of mixed descent (2.7%). Women were infected more frequently than men, and the prevalence of infection increased with age in both sexes. Sero‐positivity rates were significantly increased in adults who lived in housing of poor quality ( p <0.001) or close to water courses ( p < 0.025). These data and others raise the possibility that one route of HLTV‐I transmission may be via insect vectors under particular domestic circumstances.