Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with uncertain etiology. For many years, viruses have been suspected as causative agents. There are conflicting reports about the possible role of viruses such as human herpes virus 8 (HHV8) and retroviruses in the pathogenesis of the sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. We conducted a prospective case-control study to investigate the association of seropositivity of HHV8, human T lymphotropic virus 1 (HTLV1) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) with risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Thirty patients with confirmed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and 30 controls matched by sex and age were included in this study. Enzyme immunoassays for the determination of antibodies to HHV8, HTLV1 and HIV were performed on the serum samples of cases and controls. For HHV8, one in case group and one in control group were considered reactive for anti HHV8 IgG. For HTLV1 and HIV, the results were negative in both groups. This study does not support any association between seropositivity of HHV8, HIV and HTLV1 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Background and Objectives: Human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) is a virus of the Retroviridae family, which has infected more than 20 million people around the world. The study aimed to review the prevalence of HTLV infection in pregnant women. Methods: We searched various databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Google Scholar, SID, Magiran and Irandoc using the following keywords: HTLV-1, HTLV-2, Retroviridae, pregnancy, prevalence, incidence, women and female. Abstracts, short/brief reports as well as original and review articles published on HTLV-1 and/or HTLV-2 infection during pregnancy until October 2018 were included in the study. Results: We found five articles from Iran and 14 articles from other parts of the world on the prevalence of HTLV-1 infection in pregnant women. Prevalence of HTLV-1 and or HTLV-2 was higher in pregnant women than in non-pregnant women in cities of Mashhad and Neyshabur, Razavi Khorasan Province (1. 5 to 3. 3 %), northeastern Iran, which are endemic areas of Iran for HTLV-1 infection. The incidence rate of HTLV-1 infection was 400-500 per 10, 000 pregnant women in endemic areas of Japan. In Brazil, the rate of HTLV-1 infection in pregnant women was estimated to be 1. 05%. Conclusion: The prevalence of HTLV-1 varies among pregnant women depending on residence in endemic or nonendemic areas for HTLV-1. In endemic areas, it is recommended to perform routine screening for HTLV-1 infection in the general population, especially pregnant women.

Background: Human T-cell lymphotropic viruses 1 (HTLV1) is endemic in specific regions. We aimed to determine the prevalence of HTLV I infection among blood donors in southeast Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between April 2005 and March 2015. Sera were collected from blood donors and were tested for the presence of HTLV1 specific antibody using ELISA. Reactive samples were then tested by Western blot for confirmation. Results: Of the 165, 267 blood donors tested for HTLV 1 antibody, 45 (0. 027%) donors were positive. Out of 45 positive donors, 41 were first time blood donors, 3 were repeat blood donors and 1 as regular donor. Most HTLV-1-positive donors were male and married. Co-infection with HBV was observed in one subject. The percentage of positive samples had increasing patterns from 0. 016% in 2009 to 0. 084% in 2010 and decreased after that to 0. 014% in 2015. Conclusion: The results indicated a low level of infection of HTLV1 in this part of our country.

Introduction: The human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV)-1/2 is a retrovirus that can cause adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma, tissue-necrotizing lymphadenitis, and tropical spastic paraparesis. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of HTLV infection in pregnant women receiving care in Urmia, sited in northwest Iran. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 86 pregnant women in Urmia between May and September 2014. Following interviews and blood sample collection, the participants were screened for IgG antibodies against HTLV-1/2 using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results: The average age of the participants was 25.56 ± 5.30 years, with 3 individuals (3.49%) reporting a history of blood transfusion and 18 patients (20.93%) having experienced previous abortions. Serological testing did not reveal any evidence of HTLV-1/2 infection in the study population. Conclusion: While screening for HTLV-1/2 infection in pregnant women holds significance, it appears that during the study period, this issue was not recognized as a major health concern among pregnant women in Urmia. This observation aligns with findings from other research in Iran, where awareness and emphasis on HTLV-1/2 screening in pregnant populations remain relatively low.