Familial clustering of human T lymphotropic virus type 1 uveitis.

Human T lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-I) is a retrovirus highly endemic in the Caribbean islands, parts of central Africa and south west Japan.'The virus is a causative agent for a T cell malignancy (adult T cell leukaemia/lymphoma, ATL)2 and a non-neoplastic inflammatory disorder (HTLV-I associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis, HAM/TSP).3We have reported that HTLV-I is also a causative agent for a certain type of uveitis."7The familial occurrence of ATL8 and HAM/TSP,9 and the prevalence of antibody to HTLV-I in family members'0 has been reported.Therefore, the familial occurrence of HTLV-I uveitis is also expected, but no such cases have been previously reported.Here we report two familial cases of HTLV-I uveitis.