Familial transmission of human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 HTLV-1) in patients with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma or HTLV-1-associated myelopathy. NLM AIDSLINE Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

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Familial transmission of human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 HTLV-1) in patients with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma or HTLV-1-associated myelopathy.

J Formos Med Assoc. 1998 Feb;97(2):101-5. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/98170595
Hu CY; Lin MT; Yang YC; Tang JL; Tseng LH; Wang CH; Chen YC; Yang CS; School of Medical Technology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan; University, Taipei, Taiwan.

Abstract: The seroprevalence of human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) in Taiwan is 0.48%. In this study, we investigated the patterns of intrafamilial transmission of HTLV-1 in Taiwanese patients with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL/L) or tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM). Fifteen index patients (9 men, 6 women, aged 31-71 yr), 13 with ATL/L, and two with TSP/HAM, and 98 relatives were included. Of the 98 relatives, 23 were seropositive for HTLV-1. Spouses of 11 patients were studied. Seven of eight wives of male patients but none of the three husbands of female patients were HTLV-1 carriers. Mother-to-child transmission was found in seven of 13 families and in 15 of 75 children tested. The correlation of breast-feeding with seropositivity in two families with seropositive mothers indicates its important role in vertical transmission of HTLV-1. Our findings suggest that husband-to-wife and mother-to-child transmission are the main forms of intrafamilial transmission of HTLV-1 in Taiwan, a nonendemic area. Screening for HTLV-1 in family members of patients with ATL/L or TSP/HAM, and seropositive blood donors, may be warranted. Seropositive individuals should be educated to prevent the spread of the virus through sexual contact and breast feeding.
Keywords: *Leukemia-Lymphoma, T-Cell, Acute, HTLV-I-Associated/TRANSMISSION *Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic/TRANSMISSIONKWDleukemia-lymphoma,t-cell,acute,htlv-i-associated/transmissionKWDparaparesis,tropicalspastic/transmission
980630
M9861827

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