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Abstract

Simian T-lymphotropic virus 1 (STLV-1) enters human populations through contact with non-human primate (NHP) bushmeat. We tested whether differences in the extent of contact to STLV-1 infected NHP bushmeat foster regional differences in prevalence of human HTLV-1. Using serological and PCR assays, we screened humans and NHP at two sub-Saharan African sites where subsistence hunting was expected to be less (Taï region, Côte d'Ivoire, CIV) or more developed (Bandundu region, Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC). Only 0.7% of human participants were infected with HTLV-1 in CIV (N=574), and 1.3% of humans in DRC (N=302). Two of the Ivorian human virus sequences were closely related to simian counterparts, indicating ongoing zoonotic transmission. Multivariate analysis of human demographic parameters and behavior confirmed that participants from CIV were less often exposed to NHP than participants from DRC through direct contact, e.g. butchering. At the same time, numbers of STLV-1 infected NHP were higher at CIV (39%, N=111) than at DRC (23%, N=39). We conclude that a similar ultimate risk of zoonotic STLV-1 transmission