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Soriano V, de Mendoza C. Screening for HTLV-1 infection should be expanded in Europe. Int J Infect Dis 2024; 140:99-101. [PMID: 38307379 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2024.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection is spreading globally at an uncertain speed. Sexual, mother-to-child, and parenteral exposure are the major transmission routes. Neither vaccines nor antivirals have been developed to confront HTLV-1, despite infecting over 10 million people globally and causing life-threatening illnesses in 10% of carriers. It is time to place this long-neglected disease firmly into the 2030 elimination agenda. Current evidence supports once-in-life testing for HTLV-1, as recommended for HIV, hepatitis B and C, along with targeted screening of pregnant women, blood donors, and people who attended clinics for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Similar targeted screening strategies are already being performed for Chagas disease in some Western countries in persons from Latin America. Given the high risk of rapid-onset HTLV-1-associated myelopathy, universal screening of solid organ donors is warranted. To minimize organ wastage, however, the specificity of HTLV screening tests must be improved. HTLV screening of organ donors in Europe has become mandatory in Spain and the United Kingdom. The advent of HTLV point-of-care kits would facilitate testing. Finally, increasing awareness of HTLV-1 will help those living with HTLV-1 to be tested, clinically monitored, and informed about transmission-preventive measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vicente Soriano
- Helath Sciences School & Medical Center, Inernational University of La Rioja (UNIR), Madrid, Spain.
| | - Carmen de Mendoza
- Department of Internal Medicine, Puerta de Hierro University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
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Ayerdi O, Benito R, Ortega D, Aguilera A, Montiel N, Pintos I, Díaz de Santiago A, Baza B, Soriano V, de Mendoza C. HTLV infection in persons with sexually transmitted diseases in Spain. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1277793. [PMID: 38143748 PMCID: PMC10740202 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1277793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Background HTLV-1 infection is a neglected disease, despite estimates of 10 million people infected worldwide and producing life-threatening illnesses in 10% of carriers. Sexual transmission is the main route of contagion. However, HTLV-1 is not listed among sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Methods Serum from all consecutive individuals who had attended six STI clinics across Spain during the last 12 months were tested for HTLV antibodies using a commercial enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Reactive samples were confirmed by immunoblot. Results A total of 2,524 samples were examined. The majority (1,936; 76.7%) belonged to men, of whom 676 (34.9%) were men who have sex with men (MSM) receiving HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis. Although native Spaniards predominated (1,470; 58.2%), up to 593 (23.5%) came from Latin America and 139 (5.5%) were African. A total of 26 individuals were initially EIA reactive and immunoblot confirmed 5 as HTLV-1 and 7 as HTLV-2. All but one HTLV-1+ case came from Latin America. Three were men and two were women. Among Latin Americans, the HTLV-1 seroprevalence was 0.67%. In contrast, all seven HTLV-2+ were native Spaniards and former injection drug users, and all but one were HIV+. Conclusion The rate of HTLV infection among individuals with STIs in Spain is 0.5%, which is greater than in the general population. These results support the introduction of universal HTLV screening in persons who attend clinics for STIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oskar Ayerdi
- Sexually transmitted Infections Clinic, Centro Sanitario Sandoval, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rafael Benito
- Microbiology Department, Hospital Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Diego Ortega
- Microbiology Department, Hospital Miguel Servet, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Antonio Aguilera
- Microbiology Department, University of Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Natalia Montiel
- Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Ilduara Pintos
- Internal Medicine Laboratory, Puerta de Hierro University Hospital and Research Foundation-IDIPHISA, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alberto Díaz de Santiago
- Internal Medicine Laboratory, Puerta de Hierro University Hospital and Research Foundation-IDIPHISA, Madrid, Spain
| | - Begoña Baza
- Sexually transmitted Infections Clinic, Centro Sanitario Sandoval, Madrid, Spain
| | - Vicente Soriano
- Public Health Unit, UNIR Health Sciences School and Medical Center, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carmen de Mendoza
- Internal Medicine Laboratory, Puerta de Hierro University Hospital and Research Foundation-IDIPHISA, Madrid, Spain
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de-Mendoza C, Pérez L, Rando A, Reina G, Aguilera A, Benito R, Eirós JM, Rodríguez-Avial I, Ortega D, Pozuelo MJ, Pena MJ, Soriano V. HTLV-1-associated myelopathy in Spain. J Clin Virol 2023; 169:105619. [PMID: 38000189 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcv.2023.105619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND HTLV-1 infection is a neglected disease. Over 10 million people are infected worldwide, with hot spots of high endemicity across all continents. Roughly 5% of HTLV-1 carriers develop HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (HAM), a progressive subacute neurological disabling disease. METHODS We report the main features of patients diagnosed with HAM up to date in Spain, a non-endemic country with a relatively high migrant flow from Latin America and Equatorial Africa, where HTLV-1 is endemic. RESULTS A total of 451 cases of HTLV-1 had been recorded in Spain until the end of year 2022. HAM had been diagnosed in 58 (12.9%). The current incidence is of 2-3 new cases per year. Women represent 76%. Mean age at diagnosis is 49 years-old. Nearly 60% are Latin Americans. Although sexual transmission is the most likely route of HTLV-1 acquisition, up to 6 individuals had been infected following solid organ transplantation. Rapid onset myelopathy developed in all but one of these transplant recipients from three HTLV-1-positive donors. HTLV-1 subtype 1a transcontinental was the only variant recognized in HAM patients. HTLV-1 proviral load was significantly greater in HAM patients than in asymptomatic HTLV-1 carriers (677 vs 104 HTLV-1 DNA copies/104 PBMC; p = 0.012). Symptom relief medications and physiotherapy have been the only treatment providing some benefit to HAM patients. Neither significant clinical nor virological efficacy was noticed using antiretrovirals in at least 9 HAM patients. Two thirds of HAM patients ended up in a wheelchair and with urinary/fecal sphincter incontinence. CONCLUSION HAM is the most frequent clinical manifestation of HTLV-1 infection in Spain, a non-endemic country. Middle aged women migrants from Latin America are the most frequently affected. Two thirds end up in a wheelchair despite using antiretroviral therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen de-Mendoza
- Puerta de Hierro University Hospital & Research Foundation-IDIPHISA, Madrid, Spain
| | - Leire Pérez
- Gregorio Marañón University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | | | - Rafael Benito
- Hospital Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa, Zaragoza, Spain
| | | | | | | | | | - María José Pena
- Hospital Universitario Dr. Negrín, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - Vicente Soriano
- UNIR Health Sciences School & Medical Center, UNIR-Citei, Madrid, Spain.
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de Mendoza C, Carrizo P, Sauleda S, Richart A, Rando A, Miró E, Benito R, Ayerdi O, Encinas B, Aguilera A, Reina G, Rojo S, González R, Fernández-Ruiz M, Liendo P, Montiel N, Roc L, Treviño A, Pozuelo MJ, Soriano V. The slowdown of new infections by human retroviruses has reached a plateau in Spain. J Med Virol 2023; 95:e28779. [PMID: 37212269 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.28779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The 2022 annual meeting of the HTLV & HIV-2 Spanish Network was held in Madrid on December 14. We summarize here the main information presented and discussed at the workshop and review time trends for human retroviral infections in Spain. As transmissible agents, infections by human retroviruses are of obligatory declaration. Until the end of 2022, the Spanish national registry had recorded 451 cases of HTLV-1, 821 of HTLV-2, and 416 of HIV-2. For HIV-1, estimates are of 150 000 people currently living with HIV-1 and 60 000 cumulative deaths due to AIDS. During year 2022, new diagnoses in Spain were of 22 for HTLV-1, 6 for HTLV-2, and 7 for HIV-2. The last updated figures for HIV-1 are from 2021 and counted 2786 new diagnoses. The slowdown in yearly infections for HIV-1 in Spain points out that new strategies are needed to achieve the United Nations 95-95-95 targets by 2025. For the remaining neglected human retroviral infections, their control might be pushed throughout four interventions: (1) expanding testing; (2) improving education and interventions aimed to reduce risk behaviors; (3) facilitating access to antiretrovirals as treatment and prevention, including further development of long-acting formulations; and (4) increasing vaccine research efforts. Spain is a 47 million population country in South Europe with strong migration flows from HTLV-1 endemic regions in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. At this time universal HTLV screening has been implemented only in the transplantation setting, following the report of 5 cases of HTLV-associated myelopathy shortly after transplantation of organs from HTLV-1 positive donors. There are four target populations for expanding testing and unveiling asymptomatic carriers responsible for silent HTLV-1 transmissions: (1) migrants; (2) individuals with sexually transmitted infections; (3) pregnant women; and (4) blood donors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen de Mendoza
- Puerta de Hierro University Hospital & Research Foundation-IDIPHISA, Madrid, Spain
| | - Paula Carrizo
- Puerta de Hierro University Hospital & Research Foundation-IDIPHISA, Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | | | - Elisenda Miró
- Santa Creu i Sant Pau University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rafael Benito
- Hospital Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa, Zaragoza, Spain
| | | | - Begoña Encinas
- Puerta de Hierro University Hospital & Research Foundation-IDIPHISA, Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio Aguilera
- Department of Microbiology, University of Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | | | - Silvia Rojo
- Hospital Clínico Universitario, Valladolid, Spain
| | | | - Mario Fernández-Ruiz
- Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre & Instituto de Investigación 12 de Octubre (imas12), CIBERINFEC, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Natalia Montiel
- Department of Microbiology, University of Cadiz, Cádiz, Spain
| | | | - Ana Treviño
- UNIR Health Sciences School & Medical Center, Madrid, Spain
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Bradshaw D, Khawar A, Patel P, Tosswill J, Brown C, Ogaz D, Mason E, Osman R, Mitchell H, Dosekun O, Peris BM, Pickard G, Rayment M, Jones R, Hopkins M, Williams A, Kingston M, Machin N, Taha Y, Duncan S, Turner N, Gill N, Andrews N, Raza M, Tazzyman S, Nori A, Cunningham E, Taylor GP. HTLV seroprevalence in people using HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis in England. J Infect 2023; 86:245-247. [PMID: 36773896 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinf.2023.01.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES HTLV-1 is predominantly a sexually-transmitted infection but testing is not mentioned in HIV-PrEP guidelines. We ascertained HTLV-1/HTLV-2 seroprevalence amongst HIV-PrEP users in England. METHODS An unlinked anonymous seroprevalence study. RESULTS Amongst 2015 HIV-PrEP users, 95% were men, 76% of white ethnicity and 83% had been born in Europe. There were no HTLV-1/HTLV-2 seropositive cases (95% confidence interval 0% - 0.18%). CONCLUSIONS There were no HTLV positive cases, likely reflecting the demographic of mostly white and European-born individuals. Similar studies are needed worldwide to inform public health recommendations for HIV-PrEP using populations, particularly in HTLV-endemic settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Bradshaw
- UK Health Security Agency, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK; National Centre for Human Retrovirology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London W2 1NY, UK.
| | - Arham Khawar
- UK Health Security Agency, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK
| | - Poorvi Patel
- UK Health Security Agency, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK
| | | | - Colin Brown
- UK Health Security Agency, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK
| | - Dana Ogaz
- UK Health Security Agency, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK
| | - Emily Mason
- UK Health Security Agency, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK
| | - Roeann Osman
- UK Health Security Agency, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK
| | - Holly Mitchell
- UK Health Security Agency, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK
| | - Olamide Dosekun
- Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, St Mary's Hospital, London W2 1NY, UK
| | - Borja Mora Peris
- Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, St Mary's Hospital, London W2 1NY, UK
| | - Graham Pickard
- Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, St Mary's Hospital, London W2 1NY, UK
| | - Michael Rayment
- Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, 369 Fulham Road, London SW10 9NH, UK
| | - Rachael Jones
- Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, 369 Fulham Road, London SW10 9NH, UK
| | - Mark Hopkins
- Barts Health NHS Trust, St Bartholomew's Hospital, London EC1A 7BE, UK
| | - Andy Williams
- Barts Health NHS Trust, St Bartholomew's Hospital, London EC1A 7BE, UK
| | - Margaret Kingston
- Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, UK
| | - Nicholas Machin
- Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, UK
| | - Yusri Taha
- Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Queen Victoria Road, Newcastle NE1 4LP, UK
| | - Sarah Duncan
- Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Queen Victoria Road, Newcastle NE1 4LP, UK
| | - Neil Turner
- Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, 369 Fulham Road, London SW10 9NH, UK
| | - Noel Gill
- UK Health Security Agency, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK
| | - Nick Andrews
- UK Health Security Agency, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK
| | - Mohammad Raza
- Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Glossop Road, Sheffield S10 2JF, UK
| | - Simon Tazzyman
- Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Glossop Road, Sheffield S10 2JF, UK
| | - Achyuta Nori
- Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Emma Cunningham
- Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Graham P Taylor
- Imperial College London, London W2 1PG, UK; National Centre for Human Retrovirology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London W2 1NY, UK
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