Infectious Complications of HTLV-1-Associated Adult T Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma

Adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is an aggressive mature T cell malignancy that is associated with the human retrovirus HTLV-1. Infectious complications represent a major source of morbidity and mortality in ATLL and are thus an important consideration in the discussion of this malignancy. This review discusses the infectious complications associated with HTLV-1-associated ATLL across the bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic domains outside of the hematopoietic cell transplantation setting. These infectious complications are highlighted by 3 cases seen at our institution that demonstrate several opportunistic infections that contributed to significant morbidity and mortality in these patients.