title: Population differences in immune marker profiles associated with human T-lymphotropic virus type I infection in Japan and Jamaica.
abstract: The natural history of human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) has been shown to differ markedly by geographic area. The differences include contrasting patterns of risk of adult T-cell lymphoma (ATL) and HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), which may be due in part to differences in host immune response to infection. To characterize variations in host immunity across populations, we compared serologic immune marker patterns in HTLV-I-endemic populations in Japan and Jamaica. We matched 204 participants with archived blood from the Miyazaki Cohort Study (Japan) and the Food Handlers Study (Jamaica)-i.e., 51 HTLV-I-positive ("carriers") and 51 HTLV-I-negative individuals ("noncarriers") from each population-by age, sex and blood collection year. We compared plasma concentrations of markers of T-cell-mediated (antigen-specific) and nonspecific immunity using regression models and correlation coefficients. Compared to Jamaican HTLV-I noncarriers, Japanese noncarriers had higher covariate-adjusted mean levels of T-cell activation markers, including antibody to Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen-1 (reciprocal titer 27 vs. 71, respectively, p=0.005), soluble interleukin-2 receptor-alpha (477 vs. 623 pg/mL, p=0.0008) and soluble CD30 (34 vs. 46 U/mL, p=0.0001) and lower levels of C-reactive protein (1.1 vs. 0.43 microg/mL, p=0.0004). HTLV-I infection was associated with activated T-cell immunity in Jamaicans but with diminished T-cell immunity in Japanese persons. The observed population differences in background and HTLV-I-related host immunity correspond closely to the divergent natural histories of infection observed among HTLV-I carriers in Japan and Jamaica and corroborate a role for host immune status in the contrasting patterns of ATL and HAM/TSP risk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA. brenda.birmann@channing.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Brenda M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Birmann
authors.forename: Elizabeth C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Breen
authors.forename: Sherri
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stuver
authors.forename: Beverly
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cranston
authors.forename: Otoniel
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Martínez-Maza
authors.forename: Kerstin I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Falk
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Okayama
authors.forename: Barrie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hanchard
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.forename: Michie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hisada
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007563:Jamaica / Q000453:epidemiology; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral