Endemic areas of human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) have been reported in Japan as well as tropical Africa, Central and South America and Melanesia. The existence of two subgroups, i.e., the transcontinental and Japanese subgroups, was reported in Japan. In the present study, we provide data on the ratio of the two subgroups in each endemic area and infection foci and examine the distribution of HTLV-1 in Japan and neighboring areas. A 657 bp fragment of env region of HTLV-1 proviral genome was successfully amplified for 183 HTLV-1 positive DNA samples. The subgroup determination was done by RFLP reactions using endonucleases HpaI and HinfI. The northern part of mainland Kyushu, represented by Hirado and Kumamoto, was monopolized by the Japanese subgroup, while the transcontinental subgroup ranged from 20 to 35% in the Pacific coast areas of Shikoku (Kochi), the Ryukyu Archipelago (Kakeroma and Okinawa) and Taiwan. An interesting finding in the present study is the presence of the transcontinental subgroup in Kochi, suggesting the endemicity of the transcontinental subgroup along the Kuroshio Current.
Keywords: Japanese subgroup; Kuroshio Current; human migration; transcontinental subgroup.