title: Analysis of HTLV-1 proviral load (PVL) and antibody detected with various kinds of tests in Japanese blood donors to understand the relationship between PVL and antibody level and to gain insights toward better antibody testing.
abstract: Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) occurs in approximately 5% of individuals infected with human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1). A high proviral load (PVL; more than four copies per 100 peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) or 1.6 copies per 100 blood leukocytes) and being male are risk factors for ATL development. Whether anti-HTLV-1 antibody level is related to such risk is unknown. Here, PVL and antibody levels were examined using real-time PCR and other tests in 600 HTLV-1 positive screened Japanese blood donors to understand the relationship between PVL and antibody level in asymptomatic carriers and to gain insights toward better antibody testing for HTLV-1 infection. The 430 donors in whom proviral DNA was detected were considered as true positives for HTLV-1 infection. Among donors aged 40 years or older, more males than females had a PVL corresponding to more than 1.6% infected leukocytes, and an antibody titer below the median (P = 0.0018). In antibody tests using an HTLV-1 positive cell line or Env antigens there was a large discrepancy in antibody titer among 13 provirus-positive samples, probably suggesting that antibody-based screening tests should incorporate multiple HTLV-1 antigens, such as Gag and Env antigens.
authors.affiliation: Japanese Red Cross Society Blood Service Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Chieko
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4032-6465
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.affiliation: Japanese Red Cross Society Kyushu Block Blood Center, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sagara
authors.affiliation: Japanese Red Cross Society Blood Service Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Rieko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sobata
authors.affiliation: Japanese Red Cross Society Kyushu Block Blood Center, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.affiliation: Japanese Red Cross Society Kyushu Block Blood Center, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Maiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.affiliation: Japanese Red Cross Society Blood Service Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeharu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uchida
authors.affiliation: Japanese Red Cross Society Kyushu Block Blood Center, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kiyokawa
authors.affiliation: Japanese Red Cross Society Blood Service Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Satake
authors.affiliation: Japanese Red Cross Society Blood Service Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tadokoro
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D001782:Blood Donors; D002353:Carrier State / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011533:Proviruses / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D019562:Viral Load; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral
keywords: HTLV-1; Japanese blood donors; antibody titer; proviral DNA load