Title
Common acquisition of broadly neutralizinantibodies in an HTLV-1c+ First Nations cohort from Central Australia
Link to article in PubMed
Author(s)
Grimley, Samantha
Monard, Sarah
Hirons, Ashley
Yap, Ashley
Yurick, David
Khoury, Georges
Ellenberg, Paula
Pellegrini, Marc
Purcell, Damian
Abstract
Human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 (HTLV-1) is endemic to numerous regions worldwide, including Central Australia. The Australo-Melanesian subtype-C is endemic within Australia and Oceania, whereas subtype-A is the most widely distributed subtype globally. The lack of an approved vaccine highlights HTLV-1 as a neglected public health issue. To inform the development of HTLV-1 Envelope (Env)-based vaccines, we assessed anti-Env antibodies in an HTLV-1c+ cohort of First Nations individuals in Central Australia. Of the 62 plasma samples from patients with confirmed HTLV-1 serological diagnosis, 76% were positive for Env binding in ELISA, but 90% neutralized HTLV-1c pseudovirus (PSV) infection. Neutralization breadth with the capability of blocking both subtype-A and subtype-C PSV infection was identified in 100% of samples tested. Proviral load was positively associated with anti-Env response, with binding epitopes mapping to the proline-rich region of gp46-SU. Env-directed IgG showed the capacity to engage Fcγ receptors key to inducing antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity/phagocytosis responses. Serological response was not associated with comorbidities linked to HTLV-1c in this population (bronchiectasis, chronic kidney disease, diabetes). These findings demonstrate that potent humoral immunity arises and is sustained during HTLV-1 infection, suggesting that an Env-based vaccine displaying authentically native epitopes will be capable of recapitulating these neutralizing responses.
Publication information
Viruses . 2026 Mar 24;18(4):402. doi: 10.3390/v18040402.
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Common acquisition of broadly neutralizinantibodies in an HTLV-1c+.pdf
Description
Re-used under a Creative Commons Attribution License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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2.54 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum
(MD5):d20b3cc3f0d717fcd63ebd72402b0da6
Date Issued
2026-03-24
Type
Journal Article
Journal Title
Viruses
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