Human T-lymphotropic virus

Viral disease

Virology

Psychiatry

Myelopathy

Leukemia

Immunology

Deltaretrovirus

Human T-lymphotropic virus 1

Spinal cord

Tropical spastic paraparesis

Retrovirus

Medicine

Virus

Disease

Pathology

T-cell leukemia

Retrovirology

Human T cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) was the first discovered human retrovirus and the etiologic agent of adult T-cell leukemia and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis. Shortly after the discovery of HTLV-1, human T-cell leukemia virus type 2 (HTLV-2) was isolated from a patient with hairy cell leukemia. Despite possession of similar structural features to HTLV-1, HTLV-2 has not been definitively associated with lymphoproliferative disease. Since their discovery, studies have been performed with the goal of highlighting the differences between HTLV-1 and HTLV-2. A better understanding of these differences will shed light on the specific pathogenic mechanisms of HTLV-1 and lead to novel therapeutic targets. This review will compare and contrast the two oldest human retroviruses with regards to epidemiology, genomic structure, gene products, and pathobiology.

Comparative virology of HTLV-1 and HTLV-2