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Viruses
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HIV and HTLV Infections and Coinfections (2nd Edition)
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HIV and HTLV Infections and Coinfections (2nd Edition)

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Human Virology and Viral Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 January 2027 | Viewed by 1694

Editors

Prof. Dr. Carlos Brites

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Interests: HIV; HTLV; human retroviruses
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Antonio Vallinoto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará (UFPA), Belém 66075-110, PA, Brazil
Interests: HTLV; seroprevalence; hepatitis C virus; viral load; genotype; human immunodeficiency virus; epidemiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue delves into the complex landscape of two major human retroviruses: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Human T-lymphotropic Virus (HTLV). While significant progress has been made in understanding and managing HIV, HTLV—associated with malignancies and neuroinflammatory diseases—remains a critically under-researched area. Their overlapping transmission routes also lead to coinfection, creating a unique clinical synergy that complicates disease progression and treatment.

We invite original research and reviews that advance knowledge on three key fronts:

HIV mono-infection: particularly novel aspects of pathogenesis, long-term outcomes in the ART era, and cure strategies.

HTLV mono-infection: focusing on virology, oncogenesis, immune evasion, and developing specific interventions.

HIV-HTLV coinfection: exploring viral interactions, altered immune responses, clinical consequences, and optimized management.

This collection aims to provide a comprehensive platform to drive forward research, clinical care, and public health strategies for these impactful viruses, both individually and in conjunction.

Prof. Dr. Carlos Brites
Prof. Dr. Antonio Vallinoto
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • HTLV
  • HIV
  • infection
  • co-infection

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 567 KB  
Article
Experiences from Two Decades of HTLV-1/2 Testing in a Low-Prevalence Area in Southern Germany, 2004 to 2024
by Klaus Korn, Philipp Steininger, Barbara Schmidt, Andrea K. Thoma-Kress, Lennart Forneck and Antje Knöll
Viruses 2026, 18(8), 882; https://doi.org/10.3390/v18080882 - 12 Aug 2026
Viewed by 275
Abstract
Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a neglected pathogen with a heterogeneous global distribution. In low-prevalence areas, diagnostic testing is challenged by limited clinical awareness and the low positive predictive value of screening tests. We retrospectively analyzed 10,891 HTLV-1/2 test results [...] Read more.
Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a neglected pathogen with a heterogeneous global distribution. In low-prevalence areas, diagnostic testing is challenged by limited clinical awareness and the low positive predictive value of screening tests. We retrospectively analyzed 10,891 HTLV-1/2 test results from 7719 patient samples submitted to a specialized laboratory in Germany between 2004 and 2024. Antibody screening had a positive predictive value (PPV) of 31.7% for the Diasorin Murex HTLV I + II assay (39 of 123 reactive samples confirmed) and 34.5% for the Abbott Architect rHTLV-1/2 assay (67 of 194 reactive samples confirmed). Raising the sample/cutoff (s/co) threshold to ≥5 would have increased the PPV to >80%, with only two missed diagnoses per assay. HTLV-1 infection was confirmed in 124 carriers and HTLV-2 infection in three carriers. The vast majority of carriers originated from countries with higher endemicity. A delayed antibody response was observed in HTLV-1 infections via organ transplantation. In four patients with neurological disease, elevated HTLV-1/2-specific antibody indices showed antibody production in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). HTLV-1 proviral load was measured in 83 carriers, with a median of 20,000 HTLV-1 DNA copies per 106 cells (interquartile range, 4000–119,600). Seventy-four percent (17/23) of high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) preparations contained HTLV-1/2 antibodies, which can lead to false-positive HTLV-1/2 antibody screening results in recipients without underlying infection. Therefore, HTLV-1/2 testing presents two major pitfalls: false-negative results in immunosuppressed patients and false-positive results following IVIg administration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue HIV and HTLV Infections and Coinfections (2nd Edition))
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13 pages, 294 KB  
Article
Neurological Signs and Symptoms in Human T-Lymphotropic Viruses 1 and 2 Infected Patients Living in the Amazon Region, Northern Brazil
by Giovani Camelo do Nascimento, Lucas Thiago Ferreira Monteiro, Hemengella Karyne Alves Oliveira, Márcio Yutaka Tsukimata, Bianca Lumi Inomata da Silva, Aline Cecy Rocha Lima, Rodrigo Borges de Oliveira, Gabriel dos Santos Pereira Neto, Eduardo Leitão Maia, Ricardo Ishak, Antonio Carlos Rosário Vallinoto and Izaura Maria Vieira Cayres Vallinoto
Viruses 2026, 18(3), 340; https://doi.org/10.3390/v18030340 - 10 Mar 2026
Viewed by 894
Abstract
HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 infections are associated with various neurological manifestations, particularly HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (HAM). This descriptive, cross-sectional observational study aimed to investigate and analyze the neurological manifestations in patients treated at the Service for the Care of People Living with HTLV (Serviço de [...] Read more.
HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 infections are associated with various neurological manifestations, particularly HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (HAM). This descriptive, cross-sectional observational study aimed to investigate and analyze the neurological manifestations in patients treated at the Service for the Care of People Living with HTLV (Serviço de Atendimento à Pessoa Vivendo com HTLV-SAPEVH) at the Federal University of Pará. A cohort of 957 individuals underwent screening for HTLV-1/2 infection using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), with seropositive samples subsequently confirmed via Western blotting or quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). HTLV-1/2 infection was confirmed in 69 individuals. Of these, fifteen individuals—diagnosed with HTLV-1 (n = 11) or HTLV-2 (n = 4) infection—who presented with neurological complaints at the first nursing consultation, were referred to a neurologist for clinical evaluation of neurological signs and symptoms. Most of the patients were female (13), ranging from 33 to 80 years of age. Neurological symptoms were present in 86.7%, and included spasticity, paraparesis, chronic pain, both motor and sensory deficits, as well as urinary disorders, predominantly affecting the thoracic spinal cord and lower limbs. Urinary symptoms were observed in 77% of symptomatic patients, often preceding other neurological signs that suggest a role as “sentinel symptoms” in the clinical screening of HTLV carriers. The results demonstrated the presence of neurological impairment in patients infected with both HTLV-1 and HTLV-2, with motor symptoms ranging from moderate to advanced. In addition, cases of cranial nerve and upper limb involvement were reported, a finding that is rarely described in the literature. The study highlights the importance of neurological assessment as early as possible in patients infected with either HTLV-1 or HTLV-2 and suggests that sphincter dysfunctions can serve as early clinical markers of future neurological impairment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue HIV and HTLV Infections and Coinfections (2nd Edition))
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