Disclosed is a method for detecting human retroviral nucleic acids such as
human immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-1) nucleic acid, human T-cell
leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) nucleic acid, and human T-cell leukemia
virus type II (HTLV-II) nucleic acid in a sample. In the method, the
sample is treated with reverse transcriptase to generate cDNA, and the
cDNA is subsequently analyzed to detect HIV-1, HTLV-I, and HTLV-II. The
method may include performing PCR and the method may utilize specific
primers. In addition, the method may utilize HTLV linkers that facilitate
PCR amplification and sequencing. The cDNA may be treated with
restriction enzymes before or after PCR amplification to facilitate
sequencing and detection of HIV-1, HTLV-I, or HTLV-II nucleic acid.