Primary infection of Japanese infants with adult T-cell leukaemia-associated retrovirus (ATLV): evidence for viral transmission from mothers to children.
Primary infection with adult T-cell leukemia virus (ATLV) was investigated by follow-up studies on 16 ATLV-seropositive mothers and their breastfed infants in an ATLV-endemic area of Japan. Maternal antibody to ATLV decreased in all the infants, and was detectable in only three of 12 infants tested 6 months after birth. Reappearance of the antibody 9-18 months after birth was observed in only four of the 16 infants. The ATLV-bearing cells in peripheral blood were detected in all 16 mothers after delivery. None of the 16 infants showed ATLV-bearing cells in peripheral or cord blood sampled at birth, or 1, 3 or 6 months after birth. However, virus-bearing cells in the blood became detectable 9-18 months after birth in 13 of the 16 infants. Maternal antibody and virus-bearing cells were never detected in a control group of seven infants of ATLV-seronegative mothers. These findings provide evidence for the high incidence of primary ATLV infection during early infancy among infants born to ATLV-seropositive mothers and suggest maternal viral transmission. Furthermore, samples of breast milk from all 12 seropositive mothers examined contained cell-associated ATLV capable of being transmitted to peripheral leucocytes of neonates. This finding suggests that one of the possible maternal transmission routes of ATLV is via breast milk.
D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D001942:Breast Feeding; D017977:Deltaretrovirus / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007564:Japan; D007938:Leukemia / Q000635:transmission*; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D012192:Retroviridae Infections / Q000635:transmission*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral