Abstract:
Human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a retrovirus that infects lymphocytes and causes severe diseases. HTLV-1 proviral load (PVL), i.e., the number of host cells that carry HTLV-1 proviral DNA integrated into their genome, can be measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. In this narrative review, we discuss the usefulness of HTLV-1 PVL quantification and share our experience acquired during more than 30 years of follow-up of people living with HTLV-1 in the UK. Patients with HTLV-1-associated myelopathy have higher PVL than those with asymptomatic infection. This is consistent across studies in different countries. High PVL predates symptom onset for both inflammatory and proliferative diseases. High PVL is essential but not sufficient for the development of HTLV-1-associated diseases. Therefore, PVL quantification can be used to support the care of people living with HTLV-1 by identifying those most at risk of HTLV-1-associated diseases.
摘要:
人类嗜T淋巴细胞病毒1型(HTLV-1)是一种逆转录病毒,可感染淋巴细胞并引起严重疾病。HTLV-1病毒载量(PVL),即,携带HTLV-1前病毒DNA整合到其基因组中的宿主细胞的数量,可以使用定量聚合酶链反应在外周血单核细胞(PBMC)中测量。在这篇叙述性评论中,我们讨论了HTLV-1PVL量化的有用性,并分享了我们在英国HTLV-1患者30多年的随访中获得的经验.HTLV-1相关性脊髓病患者的PVL高于无症状感染患者。这在不同国家的研究中是一致的。高PVL早于炎性和增殖性疾病的症状发作。高PVL对于HTLV-1相关疾病的发展是必需的但不足以。因此,PVL定量可用于通过识别最容易患HTLV-1相关疾病的人群来支持对HTLV-1患者的护理。