Received Jan 12; Accepted Mar This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Sandra Gallego. Carlos Remondegui. These data cannot be deposited in any public generalist repository to preserve the confidentiality in the context of human-subject research. Otherwise, its publication might reveal the identity or location of participants, contravening ethical issues. Abstract Background Molecular and epidemiological studies of transmission routes and risk factors for infection by HTLV-1 are extremely important in order to implement control measures, especially because of the high prevalence of HTLV-1 in several regions of the world.
Objective To gain further insight into the role of intrafamilial transmission of HTLV-1 in a highly endemic region in Argentina. Method Cross-sectional study in Northwest Argentina. The prevalence rate of HTLV-1 infection in family members of infected index cases was The infection was significantly associated with gender, age and prolonged lactation. Identity of LTR sequences and presence of polymorphisms revealed high prevalence of mother-to-child and interspousal transmission of HTLV-1 among these families.
Conclusion There is an ongoing and silent transmission of HTLV-1 through vertical and sexual routes within family clusters in Northwest Argentina.
This evidence highlights that HTLV-1 infection should be considered as a matter of public health in Argentina, in order to introduce preventive measures as prenatal screening and breastfeeding control. Introduction Human T-cell Lymphotropic virus type 1 HTLV-1 has been associated with lymphoproliferative disorders, inflammatory and degenerative diseases of the central nervous system, and some disorders of the immune system [ 1 , 2 ]. Infection is considered lifelong and most of the infected subjects remain asymptomatic, becoming viral reservoirs and continuing the chain of transmission [ 5 ].
The efficiency of HTLV-1 dissemination is related to the route of transmission [ 6 ]. While the main risk of infection in developed countries appears to be the use of contaminated needles by drug users, in developing countries the transmission is mainly intrafamilial [ 5 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Familial clustering has been studied in Japan, Caribbean and Brazil [ 2 , 9 , 10 , 11 ].
