Serum or plasma is suitable for this test. If HIV or Hepatitis serology is also requested then one tube for all is adequate.
GENERAL NOTES
1. HTLV 1 (Human T cell Lymphotrophic Virus) has been linked to Adult T-cell leukemnia (ALT) and HTLV-associated myopathy (HAM). 2. HTLV 2 has not been linked conclusively to any disease. 3. Reactive Anti HTLV 1/2 specimens can be sent to NRL (National Reference Laboratory) for confirmatory testing. This takes about 1 month to result. 4. At the present moment no Proviral/Nucleic Acid Testing is available.