title: Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 infective dermatitis in central Australia.
abstract: The Human T-Lymphotropic Virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a single-stranded RNA retrovirus that preferentially infects CD4+ T cells. The spectrum of diseases that are associated with the most frequent genotype, the HTLV-1 cosmopolitan subtype A, has been well described. In contrast, very few cases of HTLV-1 related diseases have been reported for the HTLV-1 subtype C variant, which is endemic to Australia and the nearby islands of Melanesia. Here we describe the first case of infective dermatitis associated with the HTLV-1 Australo-Melanesian subtype C. This was complicated by repeated episodes of invasive infection with Staphylococcus aureus and illustrates the life-threatening nature of infective dermatitis among HTLV-1 carriers who live in conditions of social disadvantage.
authors.affiliation: Northern Territory Rural Clinical School, Flinders University, 0870 Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia. lloyd.einsiedel@nt.gov.au
authors.forename: Lloyd
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Einsiedel
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cassar
authors.forename: Lynne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gessain
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D003872:Dermatitis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology*; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology*; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008542:Melanesia; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000821:virology*