Human T-cell leukemia viruses (HTLV) are members of the δ-retrovirus genus, which are exogenous horizontally transmitted viruses found in several groups of mammals. The δ-retrovirus members include HTLV and simian T-cell leukemia virus (STLV) strains 1–4, and bovine leukemia virus (BLV). HTLV-1 has infected 5–20 million individuals, based on various estimates, with the highest endemic rates of infection in southern Japan, the Caribbean islands, Central and South America, parts of Africa, northeast Iran, and Australian and Melanesian aborigines. HTLV-2 is found in native North, Central, and South Americans, and in parts of Africa. In the United States, the HTLV-1/2 seroprevalence rate among volunteer blood donors averages 0.016%. HTLV-3 and 4 have been isolated in a small number of bush-meat hunters in Cameroon. Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a type C RNA retrovirus and is a causative agent of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) as well as HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (HAM). Approximately 5% of HTLV-1 infected individuals develop clinical disease. Concerning the oncogenesis of ATL, there has been an enigma that the HTLV-1-derived proteins may not play major roles in completion of its oncogenesis.
Author(s) Details:
Mitsuru Sakitani,
Institute CCC, Kobe, Hyogo, 651-2242, Japan.
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