title: Human T lymphotropic virus-1 infection.
abstract: Human T lymphotropic virus-1 (HTLV-1) is a retrovirus which infects T lymphocytes (CD4+) to cause adult T cell leukaemia/lymphoma (ATL), tropical spastic para-paresis and several other HTLV-1 associated disorders. ATL has been reported worldwide but areas of high incidence include Japan (particularly the south-west), Central and South America, northern Iran, West and Central Africa and Melanesia. In the general Japanese population, HTLV-1 carriage is 0.1% but this can be as high as 50% in endemic areas. Six per 10000 carriers are estimated to progress to ATL each year. The three major routes of infection are mother to baby through breast-feeding, sexual intercourse and blood transfusion. There is a lengthy latency period of up to 40 years before the development of ATL. Up to 50% of ATL patients present with a cutaneous eruption. Diagnosis is established by the detection in lymphocytes of monoclonal integration of HTLV-1 proviral DNA. Even with aggressive treatment, ATL patients generally have a poor prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Kagoshima University Faculty of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanzaki
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Setoyama
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Katahira
mesh_terms: D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D015459:Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged