Infection of inbred rabbits with cell-free HTLV-I

Inbred rabbits were infected by cell-free HTLV-I to become virus carriers with provirus-carrying cells in the peripheral blood. Repeated injections of cell-free virus into newborn animals led to an increase in the provirus-carrying cells in the peripheral blood and to a lymphocytic infiltration in the portal spaces of the liver, but did not induce an ATL-like disease. Proviral DNA was detected by PCR not only in PBL but also in multiple organs including the brains of such animals. Susceptibility to infection differed between strains, as estimated by the number of provirus-carrying cells in the peripheral blood, with the associated difference in anti-p40tax antibody level in the serum. These results suggest that cell-free HTLV-I could be a potential cause for human HTLV-I infections.