Transmission of HTLV-I to rabbits via semen and breast milk from seropositive healthy persons.
Four rabbits inoculated intravenously with milk cells from 4 post-partum women seropositive for human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) and one rabbit inoculated with semen cells from a seropositive healthy man seroconverted for HTLV-I after 3-5 weeks but no seroconversion occurred in 2 rabbits inoculated with milk cells from a seronegative mother or with heated (56 degrees C, 30 min) milk cells from a seropositive mother. Attempts were made to isolate HTLV-I from peripheral blood lymphocytes harvested 5-15 weeks after cell inoculation and cultured in the presence of interleukin-2. An HTLV-I-carrying lymphoid cell line of rabbit origin was established from a rabbit inoculated with milk cells. Another long-term culture, derived from a rabbit inoculated with semen cells, also expressed HTLV-I antigens and harbored virus particles. Furthermore, transfusion of 20 ml of blood from all 5 seroconverted rabbits, but not from the 2 seronegative ones, caused seroconversion in normal recipient rabbits after 4-6 weeks.
Department of Medicine, Kochi Medical School, Japan.
Y
Y
Iwahara
N
N
Takehara
R
R
Kataoka
T
T
Sawada
Y
Y
Ohtsuki
H
H
Nakachi
T
T
Maehama
T
T
Okayama
I
I
Miyoshi
D000818:Animals; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000032:analysis; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D015481:HTLV-I Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D015486:HTLV-I Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission*; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000382:microbiology*; D011817:Rabbits; D012661:Semen / Q000382:microbiology*
D000954:Antigens, Surface; D015481:HTLV-I Antibodies; D015486:HTLV-I Antigens