HTLV-1 infection: what determines the risk of inflammatory disease?
Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is an exogenous retrovirus that persists lifelong in the infected host. Infection has been linked to a spectrum of diverse diseases: adult T cell leukemia, encephalomyelopathy, and predisposition to opportunistic bacterial and helminth infections. Applications of new technologies and biological concepts to the field have provided new insights into viral persistence and pathogenesis in HTLV-1 infection. Here, we summarize the emerging concepts of dynamic HTLV-1-host interactions and propose that chronic interferon (IFN) production causes tissue damage in HTLV-1-associated inflammatory diseases.
Imperial College London, Department of Immunology, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, UK.
Sonja
S
Tattermusch
Charles R M
CR
Bangham
D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D007372:Interferons / Q000378:metabolism*
D007372:Interferons