title: Mother-to-child transmission of human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I): a fifteen-year follow-up study in Okinawa, Japan.
abstract: Okinawa prefecture is one of the endemic areas for adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) in Japan. In this study, 2,013 serum specimens drawn serially over a period of 15 years (1968-1983) from 311 mother/child pairs in Okinawa were tested for antibodies to human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and by indirect immunofluorescence. The prevalence rate of HTLV-I antibodies was 20.9% (65 cases) in the mothers and 3.2% (10 cases) in the children. Of the 65 seropositive mothers, 10 (15.4%) had seropositive children. This study revealed a significant difference between the prevalence rates of HTLV-I antibodies in mothers and children. In addition, children born to seropositive mothers had acquired their HTLV-I antibodies by the age of 3 years, and were still seropositive at the age of 18 years. No initially seronegative child was found to have seroconverted during the period investigated.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D002353:Carrier State; D017977:Deltaretrovirus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015480:Deltaretrovirus Antibodies; D006800:Deltaretrovirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000635:transmission*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000382:microbiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D015480:Deltaretrovirus Antibodies