| Abstract: | Observation of clustering of adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma (ATL) in the coastal areas of southern Japan led to speculations about its association with an environmental agent. Human T-cell lymphoma/leukaemia virus (HTLV) was later identified as the probable causal agent in these and similar cases of lymphoma/leukaemia, which were subsequently observed in first-generation West Indian Black emigrants living in England and the USA, in the forest areas of South America and in some south-eastern states of the USA. HTLV antibodies have also been identified in cases of malignant lymphoproliferative diseases (MLPD) in Ibadan and Zaria in Nigeria and in the sera of cancer patients from various parts of Africa, thus indicating that Africa is a major region for HTLV infection. Evidence is presented of the association of HTLV infection in Africa not only with T-cell but also B-cell neoplasia, such as Burkitt's lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). The prevalence rates of infection in normal blood donors appear to range from 3.7% in sub-Sahelian northern Nigeria to 10-15% in the south-western rain-forest area of Nigeria. |
