Vertical transmission human T-cell lymphotropic virus type-i (HTLV-I) --genetic diagnosis and assessment of the probable routes of HTLV-i infection
Ikeda, K.; Inaba, N.; Takamizawa, H.
Nihon Sanka Fujinka Gakkai Zasshi 45(11): 1283-1288
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 0300-9165 PMID: 7903107 Document Number: 413979
Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type-I (HTLV-I) provirus DNA from peripheral lymphocyte of 39 infants delivered by 26 pregnant carriers was detected by the nested double polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method to identify vertical transmission (VT) of HTLV-I. The 39 infants included 12 breast-fed and 27 bottle-fed infants. Particle agglutination (PA) assay and indirect immunofluorescence (IF) test with 467 cells were performed to detect anti-HTLV-I antibody. In breast-fed infants, two (16.7%) cases were both seropositive and PCR-positive and others were both negative, so there was perfect agreement between seropositivity and PCR-positivity. In bottle-fed infants, two (7.4%) cases were seropositive but PCR-negative. This seropositivity was supposed to be due to the transplacental maternal anti-HTLV-I antibody. In 25 seronegative bottle-fed infants, 4 (14.8%) cases were PCR-positive. No significant difference was found in the PCR-positivity rate between the breast-fed and bottle-fed groups. Our study showed the usefulness of the PCR method in identifying VT, the existence of silent carriers especially in bottle-fed infants and the possibility of transplacental or birth canal routes of HTLV-I infection.