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Intrafamilial transmission of HTLV‐I and its association with anti‐Tax antibody in an endemic population in Japan
Author(s) -
Shioiri Shigemasa,
Stuver Sherri O.,
Okayama Akihiko,
Murai Koichi,
Shima Takashi,
Tachibaobuyoshi,
Tsubouchi Hirohito,
Essex Max,
Mueller Nancy
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0215(19980105)75:1<15::aid-ijc3>3.0.co;2-4
Subject(s) - seroprevalence , demography , transmission (telecommunications) , medicine , population , risk factor , antibody , immunology , serology , environmental health , sociology , electrical engineering , engineering
To assess the relationship of anti‐Tax antibody to human T‐cell lymphotropic virus type‐I (HTLV‐I) transmission, the sero‐prevalence of HTLV‐I was analyzed among married couples and among mother/child (both adults) pairs. HTLV‐I seroprevalence was significantly higher among wives with anti‐Tax + than those with anti‐Tax − HTLV‐I carrier husbands (82.4% vs. 59.5%). However, in the group of wives aged 60 years or older, there was no statistical difference in HTLV‐I seropositivity based on the husbands' anti‐Tax sero‐status. In the group whose wives were less than 60 years old, more anti‐Tax sero‐positive than sero‐negative husbands had high DNA levels (57.1% and 20.0%), whereas in the group of husbands whose wives were aged 60 years or older, the number of anti‐Tax sero‐positive and sero‐negative individuals with high DNA levels was similar. HTLV‐I sero‐prevalence was significantly higher among the adult men with anti‐Tax + carrier mothers than those with anti‐Tax − carrier mothers (52.0% vs. 14.3%). For women, HTLV‐I sero‐prevalence did not differ significantly according to their mothers' anti‐Tax sero‐status. Our results suggest that the presence of anti‐Tax antibody in HTLV‐I carriers is an age‐dependent risk factor for male‐to‐female HTLV‐I transmission. Furthermore, the effect of the mother's anti‐Tax antibody as a risk factor for vertical HTLV‐I transmission could be observed in men even after becoming adults. Int. J. Cancer 75:15–18, 1998.© 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.