Impact of hepatitis B virus coinfection on human T-lymphotropic virus Type 1 clonality in an Indigenous population of central Australia

Impact of hepatitis B virus coinfection on human T-lymphotropic virus Type 1 clonality in an Indigenous population of central Australia

The Journal of Infectious Diseases

  • Author(s): Turpin, Jocelyn, Yurick, David, Khoury, Georges, Pham, Hai, Locarnini, Stephen, Melamed, Anat, Witkover, Aviva, Wilson, Kim, Purcell, Damian, Bangham, Charles R. M., Einsiedel, Lloyd
  • Published: 2018
  • ISBN: 0022-1899

Abstract: The prevalence of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) coinfection is high in certain Indigenous Australian populations, but its impact on HTLV-1 has not been described. We compared 2 groups of Indigenous adults infected with HTLV-1, either alone or coinfected with HBV. The 2 groups had a similar HTLV-1 proviral load, but there was a significant increase in clonal expansion of HTLV-1–infected lymphocytes in coinfected asymptomatic individuals. The degree of clonal expansion was correlated with the titer of HBV surface antigen. We conclude that HTLV-1/HBV coinfection may predispose to HTLV-1–associated malignant disease.

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