HTLV-1 is a retrovirus endemic to different parts of the world that causes a variety of symptoms, ranging from asymptomatic infection to severe diseases such as lymphoma/leukaemia and myelopathy. HTLV-1 is transmitted from mother to child through breastfeeding, sexually and via blood and organ donation. We describe 3 patients as examples of the distinct clinical problems related to HTLV-1: a 53-year-old woman with HTLV-1-associated myelopathy, a 43-year-old woman with acute T-cell lymphoma and a 34-year-old pregnant woman who is an asymptomatic carrier. It is not known how many people are infected in the Netherlands, but it is probably more prevalent among immigrants from the Caribbean and Surinam and likely to be underdiagnosed. Diagnosis is important because it alters treatment and because measures to prevent transmission can be implemented, e.g. refraining from breastfeeding and safe sex precautions.
