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The Prevalence of Naturally Occurring Antibodies to Human Syncytial Virus in East African Populations

M. A. Epstein^1,

¹ Department of Pathology, University of Bristol, The Medical School, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TD, U.K.
² Biological Carcinogenesis Unit, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 150, Cours Albert Thomas, 69008 Lyon, France
³ IARC Research Centre, Clinical Research Centre, Watford Road, Harrow, Middlesex HA1 3UJ, U.K.

A seroepidemiological study of naturally occurring antibodies to the human syncytial virus has been carried out by means of an indirect immunofluorescence test on 639 East Africans, consisting of 493 normal Ugandans, 66 Kenyan patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and 80 Kenyan and Tanzanian patients with various other tumours or non-cancerous conditions. It was found that 3.4% of the normal individuals had antibodies to the virus and serial serum samples were available from 14 of these, permitting the study of antibody class in seroconversion and antibody persistence. As in an earlier survey, a significantly higher incidence of antibodies was found amongst NPC patients. Blocking and indirect immunofluorescence tests with simian foamy viruses (SFV) showed some cross-reactivity between SFV 6 and the human syncytial virus, but not identity. The results are discussed in relation to the very real occurrence of natural infection by human syncytial virus in certain geographical regions.

^* Present address: Department of Pathology and Immunology, Monash University Medical School, Melbourne 3181, Australia.

To whom reprint requests should be addressed.

Received 7 September 1979; accepted 8 November 1979.

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