Transmission of HTLV-I to rabbits via semen and breast milk from seropositive healthy persons.

Four rabbits inoculated intravenously with milk cells from 4 post-partum women seropositive for human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) and one rabbit inoculated with semen cells from a seropositive healthy man seroconverted for HTLV-I after 3-5 weeks but no seroconversion occurred in 2 rabbits inoculated with milk cells from a seronegative mother or with heated (56 degrees C, 30 min) milk cells from a seropositive mother. Attempts were made to isolate HTLV-I from peripheral blood lymphocytes harvested 5-15 weeks after cell inoculation and cultured in the presence of interleukin-2. An HTLV-I-carrying lymphoid cell line of rabbit origin was established from a rabbit inoculated with milk cells. Another long-term culture, derived from a rabbit inoculated with semen cells, also expressed HTLV-I antigens and harbored virus particles. Furthermore, transfusion of 20 ml of blood from all 5 seroconverted rabbits, but not from the 2 seronegative ones, caused seroconversion in normal recipient rabbits after 4-6 weeks.