Low DNA HTLV-2 proviral load among women in São Paulo City

• Published in: Virus research Vol. 135; no. 1; pp. 22 - 25
• Main Authors: Montanheiro, Patrícia, Olah, Ingrid, Fukumori, Ligia M.I., Smid, Jerusa, Oliveira, Augusto César Penalva de, Kanzaki, Luis I.B., Fonseca, Luiz Augusto M., Duarte, Alberto J.S., Casseb, Jorge
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01-07-2008
• Subjects: Adult; Brazil - epidemiology; DNA proviral load; Female; Follow-Up Studies; HIV Infections - complications; HIV Infections - virology; HIV-1; HIV-1 - physiology; HTLV-2; HTLV-II Infections - complications; HTLV-II Infections - epidemiology; HTLV-II Infections - immunology; HTLV-II Infections - virology; Human immunodeficiency virus 1; Human T-lymphotropic virus 2; Human T-lymphotropic virus 2 - genetics; Human T-lymphotropic virus 2 - isolation & purification; Humans; IDU; Lymphocyte Count; Male; Proviruses - genetics; Proviruses - isolation & purification; Sex Factors; Transmission; Viral Load; Brazil; HIV-1; HTLV-2; IDU; DNA proviral load; Transmission
• ISSN: 0168-1702; 1872-7492
• DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2008.01.015

HTLV-2 infections are almost always asymptomatic, and diseases associated with the infection are rarely reported. Little information is available on the relationship between HTLV-2 proviral load and gender or expression of disease, especially among patients with HIV-1 co-infection.
We studied 77 HTLV-2-infected subjects followed in our clinic for the last 9 years; 53 (69%) of them were co-infected with HIV-1. HTLV-2 DNA proviral load (PVL) was measured by real time PCR, a test with a sensitivity of 10 in 10
4 PBMCs.
Six of 53
HTLV-2/HIV-1 cases had a myelopathy (all of them had undetectable PVL of HTLV-2). Only 3 of 35 women (2 out of 3 co-infected with HIV) had a detectable PVL, whereas 10 of 42 men had a detectable PVL. Regardless of their HIV status women had significantly lower PVL than men (10 vs. 43 copies/10
4 PBMCs,
p
<
0.05).
We noticed the occurrence of myelopathy in HTLV-2/HIV-1 co-infected patients, with undetectable HTLV-2 viral load. There was a sex difference in viral load for HTLV-2, what may be the result in mode of transmission or acquisition of the virus.