Intrafamilial Transmission of Adult T Cell Leukemia Virus

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 154; no. 5; pp. 851 - 857
• Main Authors: Kajiyama, Wataru, Kashiwagi, Seizaburo, Ikematsu, Hideyuki, Hayashi, Jun, Nomura, Hideyuki, Okochi, Kazuo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 01.11.1986; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age groups; Aged; Antibodies, Viral - analysis; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; Data transmission; Deltaretrovirus Antibodies; Deltaretrovirus Infections - epidemiology; Deltaretrovirus Infections - genetics; Deltaretrovirus Infections - transmission; Disease transmission; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Hematologic and hematopoietic diseases; Human T lymphotropic virus 1; Humans; Husbands; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Japan; Leukemias. Malignant lymphomas. Malignant reticulosis. Myelofibrosis; Male; Mathematics; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Mothers; Original Articles; Retroviridae; T cell leukemia; Viruses; Japan; Human; Family study; Virological exploration; Japan; Leukemia; Transmission; Retroviridae; Hemopathy; Epidemiology; Virus; Asia; T-Lymphocyte; HTLV-I virus
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/154.5.851

In an investigation of the mode of transmission of adult T cell leukemia virus (ATLV) in family settings, 275 male and 444 female subjects positive for antibody to ATLV-associated antigen (anti-ATLA) were studied. Their children were surveyed for anti-ATLA status. None of the 82 children of a positive father and a negative mother were positive for anti-ATLA. In contrast, the antibody prevalence among children with a positive mother and a positive or negative father was 27.9% and 19.9%, respectively. Of 39 parents who had one or more anti-ATLA-positive children <20 years old, 56.3% of the fathers and 97.1% of the mothers were anti-ATLA positive. Algorithm computation showed the possibility of ATLV transmission from husband to wife to be 60.8% and from wife to husband to be 0.4% over a 10-year period. These data suggest that ATLV is transmitted from mother to child and from husband to wife in family settings.