Abstract

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a virus spread worldwide. It is estimated that there are about 5 – 10 million infected people in the world. In Chile, HTLV is endemic with higher seroprevalence among indigenous people, nonetheless little is known about the HTLV-1 genetic diversity, its introduction, and dispersion in this country. To gain insights into these issues, we conducted a phylogenetic dating analysis based on Chilean and closed related long terminal sequences (LTR) sequences. The time tree reconstruction showed that the introduction of HTLV-1aA occurred several times in Chile. We hypothesize that these introductions take place at least into different historical moments: (i) during the ancient human migrations and (ii) during/posterior the European colonization of South America. The present study contributes toward understanding the evolutionary history of HTLV-1 in Chile and South America.