title: Reducing the global burden of HTLV-1 infection: An agenda for research and action.
abstract: Even though an estimated 10-20 million people worldwide are infected with the oncogenic retrovirus, human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1), its epidemiology is poorly understood, and little effort has been made to reduce its prevalence. In response to this situation, the Global Virus Network launched a taskforce in 2014 to develop new methods of prevention and treatment of HTLV-1 infection and promote basic research. HTLV-1 is the etiological agent of two life-threatening diseases, adult T-cell leukemia and HTLV-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis, for which no effective therapy is currently available. Although the modes of transmission of HTLV-1 resemble those of the more familiar HIV-1, routine diagnostic methods are generally unavailable to support the prevention of new infections. In the present article, the Taskforce proposes a series of actions to expand epidemiological studies; increase research on mechanisms of HTLV-1 persistence, replication and pathogenesis; discover effective treatments; and develop prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines.
authors.affiliation: University of Liege, Belgium; Chairs of the HTLV Taskforce of the Global Virus Network, USA. Electronic address: luc.willems@ulg.ac.be.
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Willems
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan; Chairs of the HTLV Taskforce of the Global Virus Network, USA.
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.affiliation: University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Accolla
authors.affiliation: Imperial College, London, UK.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bangham
authors.affiliation: American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bazarbachi
authors.affiliation: University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Bertazzoni
authors.affiliation: Fundação Hemominas, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Anna Barbara de Freitas
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Carneiro-Proietti
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Virology, Baltimore, USA.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chieco-Bianchi
authors.affiliation: University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ciminale
authors.affiliation: René Rachou Research Center, FIOCRUZ, Belo Brazil Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jordana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Coelho-Dos-Reis
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Virology, Baltimore, USA.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Esparza
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Virology, Baltimore, USA.
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Gallo
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gessain
authors.affiliation: Tropical Medical Institute Alexander von Humboldt, Lima, Peru.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gotuzzo
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Infectious Disease, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.affiliation: National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Harford
authors.affiliation: Hôpital Necker, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hermine
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, USA.
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jacobson
authors.affiliation: University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Macchi
authors.affiliation: St. George's University, Grenada.
authors.forename: Calum
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Macpherson
authors.affiliation: Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Renaud
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mahieux
authors.affiliation: Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Masao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsuoka
authors.affiliation: University of California, San Francisco, USA.
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Marie
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Peloponese
authors.affiliation: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Viviana
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Virology, Baltimore, USA.
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tagaya
authors.affiliation: Imperial College, London, UK.
authors.forename: Graham P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshiki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshihisa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamano
mesh_terms: D026683:Advisory Committees; D035843:Biomedical Research; D017281:Cost of Illness; D014943:Global Health; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D015459:Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell / Q000821:virology; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology
keywords: HTLV-1; Leukemia; Oncogene; Retrovirus; Vaccine