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Determination of molecular epidemiologic pattern of human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) in Alborz province, Iran

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Abstract

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is linked to two debilitating diseases, adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) and HTLV-1 associated myelopathy tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), which are prevalent in various parts of the world, including the Alborz province in Iran. Understanding the prevalence and evolutionary relationships of HTLV-1 infections in these endemic areas is of utmost importance. In the realm of phylogenetic studies, long terminal repeat (LTR) region of HTLV-1 stands out as highly conserved, yet more variable compared to other gene segments. Consequently, it is the primary focus for phylogenetic analyses. Additionally, trans-activator of transcription (Tax), an oncoprotein, holds a pivotal role in the regulation of gene expression. This cross-sectional study delved into the phylogenetic analysis of HTLV-1 among individuals in Alborz province of Iran. To confirm infection, we amplified partial sequence LTR (PLTR) and HTLV-1 bZIP factor (PHBZ). For phylogenetic analysis, we sequenced the full sequence LTR (FLTR) and full Tax sequence (FTax). The FLTR and FTax sequences underwent analysis using BioEdit, and phylogenetic trees were constructed using MEGA-X software. Out of the roughly 15,000 annual blood donors in Alborz, 19 samples tested positive for HTLV-1, indicating a 0.13% HTLV-1 positivity rate among blood donors. Furthermore, the HTLV-1 virus prevalent in the Alborz province belongs to subtype A (cosmopolitan) subgroup A. The findings revealed that while mutations were observed in both the LTR and Tax genes, they were not significant enough to bring about fundamental alterations. Despite positive selection detected in three Alborz isolates, it has not led to mutations affecting Tax function and virulence.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to the dedicated participation of Blood Transfusion Organization of Alborz staff.

Funding

The study was supported by Alborz University of Medical Sciences (1397-03-01-2071).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Student Research Committee, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Alborz, Iran

    Mahshid Safavi & Setayesh Solouki

  2. Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research & Education in Transfusion Medicine, Tehran, Iran

    Fariba Habibian-Sezavar, Parisa Kaboli & Mehrdad Sadeghi Haj

  3. Department of Virology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Arash Letafati

  4. Department of Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Alborz, Iran

    Somayeh Yaslianifard, Mohammad Mohammadzadeh & Sayed‑Hamidreza Mozhgani

  5. Dietary Supplements and Probiotic Research Center, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Alborz, Iran

    Somayeh Yaslianifard

  6. Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Alborz, Iran

    Kourosh Kabir

  7. Non-Communicable Disease Research Center, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Alborz, Iran

    Sayed‑Hamidreza Mozhgani

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  1. Mahshid Safavi
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Contributions

MS, FH-S, AL, SS: methodology, writing original draft, validation, investigation. SY, MM, KK, MSH: validation, investigation. S-HM: conceptualization, supervision, validation, review and editing.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Somayeh Yaslianifard or Sayed‑Hamidreza Mozhgani.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval

Ethical approval was obtained from Alborz University of Medical Sciences (IR.ABZUMS.REC.1398.082).

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Edited by Simon Scott.

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Safavi, M., Habibian-Sezavar, F., Letafati, A. et al. Determination of molecular epidemiologic pattern of human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) in Alborz province, Iran. Virus Genes 60, 117–125 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11262-024-02051-0

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