Hu C Y, Lin M T, Yang Y C, Tang J L, Tseng L H, Wang C H, Chen Y C, Yang C S
School of Medical Technology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
J Formos Med Assoc. 1998 Feb;97(2):101-5.
The seroprevalence of human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) in Taiwan is 0.48%. In this study, we investigated the patterns of intrafamilial transmission of HTLV-1 in Taiwanese patients with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL/L) or tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM). Fifteen index patients (9 men, 6 women, aged 31-71 yr), 13 with ATL/L, and two with TSP/HAM, and 98 relatives were included. Of the 98 relatives, 23 were seropositive for HTLV-1. Spouses of 11 patients were studied. Seven of eight wives of male patients but none of the three husbands of female patients were HTLV-1 carriers. Mother-to-child transmission was found in seven of 13 families and in 15 of 75 children tested. The correlation of breast-feeding with seropositivity in two families with seropositive mothers indicates its important role in vertical transmission of HTLV-1. Our findings suggest that husband-to-wife and mother-to-child transmission are the main forms of intrafamilial transmission of HTLV-1 in Taiwan, a nonendemic area. Screening for HTLV-1 in family members of patients with ATL/L or TSP/HAM, and seropositive blood donors, may be warranted. Seropositive individuals should be educated to prevent the spread of the virus through sexual contact and breast feeding.
台湾地区人类嗜T淋巴细胞病毒1型（HTLV-1）的血清阳性率为0.48%。在本研究中，我们调查了台湾地区成人T细胞白血病/淋巴瘤（ATL/L）或热带痉挛性截瘫/HTLV-1相关脊髓病（TSP/HAM）患者中HTLV-1的家庭内传播模式。纳入了15名索引患者（9名男性，6名女性，年龄31 - 71岁），其中13例为ATL/L，2例为TSP/HAM，以及98名亲属。在这98名亲属中，23人HTLV-1血清学呈阳性。研究了11名患者的配偶。男性患者的8名妻子中有7名是HTLV-1携带者，而女性患者的3名丈夫均不是。在13个家庭中的7个家庭以及75名接受检测的儿童中的15名儿童中发现了母婴传播。在母亲血清学呈阳性的两个家庭中，母乳喂养与血清阳性之间的相关性表明其在HTLV-1垂直传播中起重要作用。我们的研究结果表明，在非流行地区台湾，夫妻间传播和母婴传播是HTLV-1家庭内传播的主要形式。对ATL/L或TSP/HAM患者的家庭成员以及血清学呈阳性的献血者进行HTLV-1筛查可能是必要的。应对血清学呈阳性的个体进行教育，以防止病毒通过性接触和母乳喂养传播。
