Rapid quantification of HTLV-I provirus load: Detection of monoclonal proliferation of HTLV-I-infected cells among blood donors

In this report, we quantified HTLV-I provirus load using the AmpliSensor sy stem, which utilizes fluorescence to measure PCR products. With this method , provirus loads could be measured within 6 hr, and the results obtained co rrelated well with those obtained by other methods. Samples from 256 blood donors, who were positive for antibodies against HTLV-I, were analyzed, sho wing that provirus load ranged from less than 0.1% to 56% among carriers. W e analyzed the association between provirus load and the biomarkers age and sex and found that it was not influenced by either. Provirus load was bett er correlated with soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) levels than with antibody titer against the virus. Among 18 blood donors with high provirus load (more than 10%), Southern blotting detected monoclonal integration of HTLV-I in infected cells in 2 cases, both of them showing high sIL-2R leve ls (more than 900 U/ml), Sequential analyses of provirus load showed stable levels of provirus in the same carriers, suggesting that some factors othe r than age or sex determined provirus load in infected individuals. Thus, t his rapid method is a useful tool for the early detection of adult T-cell l eukemia and other HTLV-I-associated diseases, (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.