       Document 1014
 DOCN  M9541014
 TI    Familial transmission and minimal sequence variability of human
       T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) in Zaire.
 DT    9504
 AU    Liu HF; Vandamme AM; Kazadi K; Carton H; Desmyter J; Goubau P; Rega
       Institute for Medical Research and University Hospitals,; Katholieke
       Universiteit Leuven, Belgium.
 SO    AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. 1994 Sep;10(9):1135-42. Unique Identifier :
       AIDSLINE MED/95127296
 AB    Our group previously reported a strong familial clustering of
       HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) in
       Zaire, suggesting a familial transmission of the virus together with the
       presence of cofactors. In the present study among 84 relatives of 16
       HTLV-I-positive or HAM/TSP index cases, we found that all 15
       seropositive children had a seropositive mother and that all 15 children
       with a seropositive father but a seronegative mother were seronegative.
       Lymphocytes of 17 relatives from 2 families with a familial
       HTLV-I-associated neuropathy were tested in 2 polymerase chain reaction
       (PCR) assays amplifying pol and tax/rex gene fragments. The 10
       seropositive individuals were PCR positive for HTLV-I and the 7
       seronegatives were negative in both PCR assays. The PCR results showed
       no evidence for a long lag period between infection with HTLV-I and
       seroconversion. The HTLV-I long terminal repeat (LTR) of these 10
       individuals, related in the first to the fourth degree, was amplified
       and sequenced. Identical sequences were found within the families except
       for one woman infected with two variants, one being the familial strain
       and the other a mutated one with a single nucleotide substitution in the
       755 sequenced nucleotides of the LTR region. The family strain and the
       mutant were both present in two samples taken 1 year apart. Together,
       the HTLV-I serology, PCR, and sequencing results point toward
       mother-to-child transmission as the main mode of HTLV-I infection in
       this population. Comparison of the LTR sequences of the two families
       with other HTLV-I strains from different geographical regions shows that
       the Zairean HTLV-I strains form a separate cluster.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED
       AT 250 WORDS)
 DE    Adult  Base Sequence  Case Report  Cells, Cultured  Child  DNA Primers
       DNA, Viral/ANALYSIS/*BLOOD  Family  Female  Genes, pol  Genes, pX
       Geography  Human  HTLV-I/*GENETICS/*ISOLATION & PURIF  HTLV-I
       Infections/*TRANSMISSION/VIROLOGY  Lymphocytes/IMMUNOLOGY/VIROLOGY  Male
       Molecular Sequence Data  Pedigree  Polymerase Chain Reaction/*METHODS
       Proviruses/GENETICS/ISOLATION & PURIF  Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic
       Acid  Variation (Genetics)  Zaire  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).

