HTLV is a retrovirus that weakens the immune system and is linked to various health problems. It can be transmitted through blood, body fluids, and breast milk. There is no cure, and treatment focuses on managing associated conditions. Education on HIV/AIDS can help reduce infection rates.
Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV) is a retrovirus associated with immune system depression. Several retroviruses are classified in this family, including HTLV-I and HTLV-II. The differences between the various types are mainly related to their geographical distribution and the precise effects of the virus on the body. The virus is more common in developing countries, with several blood tests available to detect the presence of its antibodies in the blood.
This retrovirus was first discovered in Japan in 1977 and was isolated at the National Cancer Institute in the United States. Initially, early work on HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, classified HIV as a member of the HTLV family, and the virus was briefly known as HTLV-III. However, further research showed that HIV acted very differently from this other virus and was in an entirely separate classification.
HTLV is linked to a number of health problems, including demyelinating diseases affecting the central nervous system, such as tropical spastic paraparesis, along with adult T-cell leukemia and lymphoma. Viruses in this group initially work by stimulating the immune system, which eventually causes it to go into overdrive, at which point it begins to attack itself. When the immune system weakens, the patient is at risk of opportunistic infections.
Once infected with HTLV, someone carries the infection for life. Treatment is primarily focused on managing conditions associated with the virus, as no cure has been developed. In some cases, people can carry it without developing any symptoms, often passing it on to others because they are unaware. Other people develop cancer and other diseases, depending on which form they are infected with.
This retrovirus can be transmitted in several ways. It is carried in blood and some body fluids, so cases of blood-to-blood contact, sexual contact, and shared use of needles can result in its transmission. HTLV is also transported in breast milk. Widespread HIV/AIDS education often helps reduce HTLV infection rates, as the same techniques used to reduce the risk of contracting both. In regions without adequate education or funds to provide preventative measures such as sharing needles and condoms, however, infection rates tend to remain constant or increase.
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