Long-term sequential changes of antibody to p40tax in HTLV-I carrier mothers and children.
Antibody to p40tax (anti-p40tax) in serum specimens obtained sequentially from a human T cell lymphotropic virus type I carrier population of mothers and children were assayed. The prevalences of anti-p40tax at the initial sampling were 88% (7/8) in children and 55% (16/29) in mothers. Two of the seven positive children lost their anti-p40tax during the investigation period, resulting in a final prevalence of 63% (5/8) in children. However, anti-p40tax status was constant in all the 22 mothers with multiple serum samples (15 remained positive and seven remained negative). A decline in the absorbance value of EIA for anti-p40tax was observed in seven of the 15 anti-p40tax positive mothers. This decline may result in the disappearance of anti-p40tax in some of them.
Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
K
K
Kusuhara
K
K
Ueda
K
K
Tokugawa
C
C
Miyazaki
K
K
Okada
T
T
Sawada
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000378:metabolism*; D002353:Carrier State / Q000276:immunology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D016356:Gene Products, tax / Q000276:immunology*; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D016356:Gene Products, tax