The Human T-Lymphotropic Virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a human oncogenic retrovirus that is aetiologically associated with i) a rapidly progressive malignancy, adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma (ATLL), ii) several inflammatory conditions, the prototype of which is HTLV-1 associated myelopathy (HAM), and iii) infectious complications including life-threatening, complicated Strongyloidiasis. The Australo-Melanesian HTLV-1 subtype c is endemic to central Australia; however, no attempt has been made to control viral transmission among the Indigenous population of this region. 

Recent clinical and molecular studies have substantially improved our understanding of the consequences of HTLV-1 infection in this population. Current research suggests that HTLV-1 infection contributes substantially to morbidity and mortality among the Indigenous residents of central Australia, largely due to an increased risk of bacterial infections and respiratory disease. The Australian experience provides evidence that the spectrum of HTLV-1 related diseases varies according to the social circumstances of the affected population. The clinical associations of HTLV-1c infection among the Indigenous Australian population will therefore be discussed in the context of the underlying molecular basis for disease and the extent to which these processes can be driven by socio-economic deprivation.