Open AccessTransmission Routes of HTLV‐I: An Analysis of 66 Families
Author(s) -
Take Hiromichi,
Umemoto Masakazu,
Kusuhara Kouichi,
Kuraya Kazue
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
japanese journal of cancer research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.035
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1349-7006
pISSN - 0910-5050
DOI - 10.1111/j.1349-7006.1993.tb02832.x
Subject(s) - transmission (telecommunications) , medicine , sexual transmission , obstetrics , blood transfusion , leukemia , wife , pregnancy , horizontal transmission , virology , immunology , virus , biology , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , genetics , telecommunications , microbicide , computer science , political science , law
HTLV‐I transmission routes were found for 66 carrier pregnant women by studying sera, from the carrier pregnant women, their mothers, and their husbands, and by obtaining detailed family histories at interview. Forty‐one cases (62.1%) were considered to be instances of vertical transmission, 15 (22.8%) of sexual transmission, 6 (9.1%) of blood transfusion, and 4 (6.1%) undecided. To date, most cases of adult T‐cell leukemia (ATL) have been considered to result from vertical transmission. Our results therefore imply that about 30% (22.8%+ 9.1%) of the carrier pregnant women are at minimal risk of ATL. Moreover, in case of presumed husband‐to‐wife transmission, more than half (6/11) were infected between one year and four years after marriage.