Maternal proviral load and vertical transmission of Human T cell Lymphotropic Virus type 1 in Guinea-Bissau

Abstract

Abstract The relative importance of routes of transmission of human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) in Guinea-Bissau is largely unknown; vertical transmission is thought to be important, but there are very few existing data. We aimed to examine factors associated with transmission in mothers and children in Guinea-Bissau, where HTLV-1 is endemic (prevalence of 5% in the adult population). A cross-sectional survey was performed among mothers and their children (aged <15 years) in a rural community in Guinea-Bissau. A questionnaire to identify risk factors for infection and a blood sample were obtained. HTLV-1 proviral load in peripheral blood was determined and PCR was performed to compare long terminal repeat (LTR) sequences in mother–child pairs. Fourteen out of 55 children (25%) of 31 HTLV-1-infected mothers were infected versus none of 70 children of 30 uninfected mothers. The only factor significantly associated with HTLV-1 infection in the child was the proviral load of the mother; the risk...