Journal of Medical Virology 85:1585–1590 (2013) Environmental Impact and Seroepidemiology of HTLV in Two Communities in the Eastern Brazilian Amazon Luiz Fa ´ bio Magno Falca ˜ o, 1,2 Hellen Thais Fuzii, 1 Rosana Maria Feio Libonati, 1 Tinara Leila de Souza Aara ˜ o, 1 Andre ´ Gustavo Moura Guimara ˜ es, 2 Luisa Carı ´cio Martins, 1 and Juarez Anto ˆ nio Simo ˜ es Quaresma 1,2 * 1 Immunopathology Laboratory of the Center of Tropical Medicine, Federal University of Para´, Bele´m-Para´, Brazil 2 Center of Biological and Health Sciences, University of the State of Para´, Bele´m-PA, Brazil The objective of this study was to detect antibodies for human T lymphotropic virus (HTLV) in subjects residing in two communities located in the eastern Brazilian Amazon and on the shores of the Tucuruı´ hydroelectric power plant. A total of 657 serum samples were analysed using an enzyme-linked immunosor- bent assay with an anti-HTLV antibody (Symbi- osis, Sa ˜ o Paulo, Brazil), demonstrating a virus prevalence of 4.7%. Most individuals with HTLV were aged over 30 years (P ¼ 0.013), were unmarried (P ¼ 0.019), resided in the area for more than 10 years (P ¼ 0.001), had a low level of education (P ¼ 0.015), and had a family income of up to $305 (100%). In contrast, there was no significant association between infec- tion and sex, city of birth, haemotransfusion, or previous surgery. The prevalence observed in these communities suggests that the resi- dents should be concerned about HTLV infec- tion, and that some areas may become endemic for HTLV. J. Med. Virol. 85:1585– 1590, 2013. # 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. KEY WORDS: hydroelectric plant of Tucuruı´; health impact; prevalence; Brazil INTRODUCTION The Amazonia has become integrated into the world economy at different times in history through the supply of natural resources such as the wilder- ness drugs, Hevea brasiliensis, mineral raw materi- als, and biodiversity. It is also considered one of last energy reserves in the world, given its potential for hydroelectric energy production [Couto, 1999; Oli- veira et al., 2006]. Development in Brazil has increased the use of water for energy production to support the implemen- tation of industrial projects and sustain population growth. A solution to this growing need involves the use of the Tucuruı ´ hydroelectric power plant, which is located in the Eastern Brazilian Amazon [De Queiroz and Motta-Veiga, 2012]. However, migratory movements and geographically uneven population growth observed in the areas of power plant installation has contributed to an in- creased incidence and prevalence of several transmis- sible diseases [Couto, 1999; Oliveira et al., 2006]. Before installation of the power plant, Tucuruı ´ city had less than 10,000 inhabitants; currently, the population is more than 100,000 people [De Queiroz and Motta-Veiga, 2012]. An intense migration brought thousands of people from various parts of Brazil and South American countries that were attracted to the area by the development of large enterprises [Tubaki et al., 2004]. During the second stage of construction of the Tucuruı ´ Hydroelectric Power Plant, prostitution and the incidence of syphi- lis, infectious hepatitis, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection significantly increased in nearby cities [Tetteh et al., 2004]. The state of Para ´ has one of the highest human T lymphotropic virus (HTLV) prevalence rates in Brazil [Catalan-Soares et al., 2005]. Recent studies in the Brazilian Amazon have confirmed the significant Conflicts of interest: None.  Correspondence to: Juarez Anto ˆnio Simo ˜es Quaresma, Nu ´ cleo de Medicina Tropical, Universidade Federal do Para ´. Avenida Generalı ´ssimo Deodoro, 92 Bele ´m, PA 66055-240, Brazil. E-mail: juarez@ufpa.br Accepted 14 March 2013 DOI 10.1002/jmv.23620 Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com).  C 2013 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC.