HUMAN T-CELL LYMPHOTROPIC VIRUS AND RELATED COINFECTIONS: A SYSTEMIC REVIEW

The infection by human T-cells lymphotropic virus (HTLV) can remain asymptomatic for many years and the symptoms can arise associated with opportunistic infections. In this context, the present work aimed to bring current information on updated scientific bases on the autoimmune coinfections and diseases most prevalent in HTLV virus carriers. Some diseases commonly observed in HTLV patients are tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-associated myelopathy and adult T-cell leukemia (ATL). The literature also shows a significant prevalence of uveitis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) among patients with HTLV, emphasizing that immune system changes caused by the virus lead to immunosuppression, favoring the manifestations of other opportunistic pathogens or establishing co-infections.