@article{Cassar:2026:10.1080/22221751.2026.2651463,
author = {Cassar, O and Djuicy, DD and Begliomini, G and Ramassamy, J-L and Oloumbou, EF and Mouinga-Ondeme, A and Njouom, R and Marcais, A and Deruelle, E and Hermine, O and Soriano, V and de, Mendoza C and Taylor, G and Afonso, PV and Gessain, A},
doi = {10.1080/22221751.2026.2651463},
journal = {Emerging Microbes and Infections},
title = {HTLV-1 genetic diversity of 52 complete sequences from 14 African countries reveals novel variants and a lack of typical P12/P8 and P30 accessory proteins in HTLV-1b, d, and f genotypes},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/22221751.2026.2651463},
volume = {15},
year = {2026}
}

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TY  - JOUR
AB  - Central Africa is the largest region of human T-cell Leukaemia virus (HTLV-1) endemicity with several million people estimated to be infected. Based on the study of the LTR region, it is also the region with the highest HTLV-1 diversity, with the presence of genotypes a-b and d-g. However, complete genomic sequences are still lacking for Central African genotypes. Here, we report the first large collection of complete HTLV-1 sequences for genotypes b, d and f from Central Africa and neighbouring countries. We identified substantial diversity within the HTLV-1b genotype, including a newly defined clade that we designated HTLV-1b-del. It mainly comprises strains from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (COD) and neighbouring countries and is characterized by a distinctive 12-bp-long deletion. We also generated the complete sequence of the STLV-1 strain from Allenopithecus nigroviridis from the COD. This strain belongs to the PTLV-1b genotype and carries a 12-bp duplication in the pX region. Lastly, we found that, except for HTLV-1a strains, HTLV-1 genomes generally lack open reading frames encoding the canonical accessory protein P12; instead, they encode either shorter versions of the protein or an ORF lacking a start ATG codon. This work substantially expands the genomic landscape of HTLV-1 in Central Africa and provides a critical resource for understanding viral diversity.
AU  - Cassar,O
AU  - Djuicy,DD
AU  - Begliomini,G
AU  - Ramassamy,J-L
AU  - Oloumbou,EF
AU  - Mouinga-Ondeme,A
AU  - Njouom,R
AU  - Marcais,A
AU  - Deruelle,E
AU  - Hermine,O
AU  - Soriano,V
AU  - de,Mendoza C
AU  - Taylor,G
AU  - Afonso,PV
AU  - Gessain,A
DO  - 10.1080/22221751.2026.2651463
PY  - 2026///
SN  - 2222-1751
TI  - HTLV-1 genetic diversity of 52 complete sequences from 14 African countries reveals novel variants and a lack of typical P12/P8 and P30 accessory proteins in HTLV-1b, d, and f genotypes
T2  - Emerging Microbes and Infections
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/22221751.2026.2651463
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1080/22221751.2026.2651463
VL  - 15
ER  - 

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