Mother-to-Child Transmission of Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Viruses-1/2: What We Know, and What Are the Gaps in Understanding and Preventing This Route of Infection

Submitted by Nuzia Santos ([email protected]) on 2015-06-25T16:17:29Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2014_175.pdf: 109662 bytes, checksum: 1dde780ff25ad38e3e74d10407ec9716 (MD5)Approved for entry into archive by Nuzia Santos ([email protected]) on 2015-06-25T16:17:38Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2014_175.pdf: 109662 bytes, checksum: 1dde780ff25ad38e3e74d10407ec9716 (MD5)Approved for entry into archive by Nuzia Santos ([email protected]) on 2015-06-25T16:23:38Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2014_175.pdf: 109662 bytes, checksum: 1dde780ff25ad38e3e74d10407ec9716 (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2015-06-25T16:23:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2014_175.pdf: 109662 bytes, checksum: 1dde780ff25ad38e3e74d10407ec9716 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014Grupo Interdisciplinar de Pesquisa em HTLV. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil / Fundação Hemominas. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil / Faculdade da Saúde e Ecologia Humana. Vespasiano, MG, BrasilGrupo Interdisciplinar de Pesquisa em HTLV. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil/ Faculdade da Saúde e Ecologia Humana. Vespasiano, MG, BrasilGrupo Interdisciplinar de Pesquisa em HTLV. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil/ Fundação Hemominas. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil/ Faculdade da Saúde e Ecologia Humana. Vespasiano, MG, BrasilGrupo Interdisciplinar de Pesquisa em HTLV. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil/ Faculdade da Saúde e Ecologia Humana. Vespasiano, MG, BrasilGrupo Interdisciplinar de Pesquisa em HTLV. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil/ Faculdade da Saúde e Ecologia Humana. Vespasiano, MG, BrasilGrupo Interdisciplinar de Pesquisa em HTLV. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil/ Faculdade da Saúde e Ecologia Humana. Vespasiano, MG, BrasilGrupo Interdisciplinar de Pesquisa em HTLV. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil/ Fundação Hemominas. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil/ Fundação Hospitalar do Estado de Minas Gerais. Belo Horizonte, MG, BrasilGrupo Interdisciplinar de Pesquisa em HTLV. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil/ Faculdade da Saúde e Ecologia Humana. Vespasiano, MG, Brasil/ Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisa Rene Rachou. Laboratório de Epidemiologia e Antropologia Médica.Grupo Interdisciplinar de Pesquisa em HTLV. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil/ Fundação Hemominas. Belo Horizonte, MG, BrasilGrupo Interdisciplinar de Pesquisa em HTLV. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil/ Fundação Hemominas. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil/ Faculdade da Saúde e Ecologia Humana. Vespasiano, MG, BrasilAlthough human T-cell lymphotropic viruses (HTLV-1/2) were described over 30 years ago, they are relatively unknown to the public and even to healthcare personnel. Although HTLV-1 is associated with severe illnesses, these occur in only approximately 10% of infected individuals, which may explain the lack of public knowledge about them. However, cohort studies are showing that a myriad of other disease manifestations may trouble infected individuals and cause higher expenditures with healthcare. Testing donated blood for HTLV-1/2 started soon after reliable tests were developed, but unfortunately testing is not available for women during prenatal care. Vertical transmission can occur before or after birth of the child. Before birth, it occurs transplacentally or by transfer of virus during cesarean delivery, but these routes of infection are rare. After childbirth, viral transmission occurs during breastfeeding and increases with longer breastfeeding and high maternal proviral load. Unlike the human immunodeficiency virus types 1 and 2, HTLV is transmitted primarily through breastfeeding and not transplacentally or during delivery. In this study, we review what is currently known about HTLV maternal transmission, its prevention, and the gaps still present in the understanding of this process