Human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 viral load variability and long-term trends in asymptomatic carriers and in patients with human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1-related diseases

Human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) proviral load (PVL) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) is high in patients with adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma or HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) and in some asymptomatic carriers, but fluctuates. Our objectives were to document ranges of HTLV PVL across a broader spectrum of diseases and tissues, to quantify the normal range of intrapatient PVL variability, and to identify which PVL values and changes deserve further investigation. PVL was measured in 191 patients with HTLV-1-associated diseases and in 211 asymptomatic carriers, using real-time quantitative PCR. The intraassay variability increases as viral load decreases: 8% at high load, 17% at medium load, and 33% at low load. The interassay variability is not different from the intraassay. Mean intrapatient CV is 65% (SD 21) in asymptomatic carriers and 59% (SD 22) in HAM/TSP. PVL values varied widely between individuals, but were relatively constant within individuals. High PVL in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and lymph nodes (LN) was associated with disease but 57% of asymptomatic carriers had a PVL greater than 1% in PBMCs. Our results suggest that (1) PVL changes falling outside a coefficient of variation of 100% require more detailed assessment, (2) asymptomatic carriers with PVL higher than 10% should undergo more frequent clinical and laboratory monitoring, and (3) HTLV-1 PVL in blood and tissue is helpful in the diagnosis and monitoring of HTLV-1 infection.