Human T cell lymphotropic virus-1 (HTLV-1) primarily infects CD4+ T cells, causing inflammatory disorders or a T cell malignancy in 5% to 10% of carriers. The cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response is a key factor that controls the viral load and thus the risk of disease. The ability to detect the viral protein Tax in primary cells has made it possible to estimate the rate at which Tax-expressin...

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) causes adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis in small subsets of HTLV-1 carriers. HTLV-1-specific T-cell responses play critical roles in anti-viral and anti-tumor host defense during HTLV-1 infections. Some HTLV-1 carriers exhibit selective loss or anergy of HTLV-1-specific T-cells at an asymptomati...

Human T-lymphotropic virus type II (HTLV-II) is a human retrovirus which is endemic in Amerindian and pygmy tribes. Molecular subtypes show geographic segregation consistent with an ancient origin of this virus within humans in Africa or South America. More recently, injection drug users in the United States and Europe have become infected with HTLV-II, and secondary sexual transmission has int...

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) causes adult T-cell leukemia and inflammatory diseases. Because anti-HTLV-1 immune responses are critical for suppressing infected cells, enhancing cellular immunity is beneficial for the treatment of HTLV-1-associated diseases. Using simian T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (STLV-1) infected Japanese macaques, we analyzed the immune responses to viral ant...

Approximately 3% of all human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-infected persons will develop a disabling inflammatory disease of the central nervous system known as HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis, against which there is currently no efficient treatment. As correlation exists between the proviral load (PVL) and the clinical status of the carrier, it is thought that...

Adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) is neoplasm of the mature helper T lymphocytes and human T-cell lymphotropic virus type-I (HTLV-I) has been shown to be causative virus of ATL. Because HTLV-I integrates its provirus randomly into host chromosomal DNA, monoclonal integration of HTLV-I provirus indicates the clonal proliferation of HTLV-I-infected cells. Therefore, demonstration of clonality of HTLV-I...

Five to ten million individuals are infected by Human T-cell Leukemia Virus type 1 (HTLV-1). HTLV-1 is transmitted through prolonged breast-feeding, by sexual contacts and by transmission of infected T lymphocytes through blood transfusion. One to ten percent of infected carriers will develop a severe HTLV-1-associated disease: Adult-T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL), or a neurological disorder n...

BACKGROUND Infective dermatitis (ID) is a rare dermatologic condition of childhood that has been linked to human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1). OBJECTIVE To analyze the clinical and laboratory features associated with adult-onset ID linked to HTLV-1. METHODS From December 1995 to December 2007, four patients with ID were followed in the dermatology outpatient clinic of the "Hosp...