Polymerase chain reaction analysis for specific HTLV-1 sequences from cerebrospinal fluid and peripheral blood cells in Sardinian multiple sclerosis patients.
Using polymerase chain reaction and specific primers, we found no gag and env sequences of HTLV-1 in DNA samples from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 26 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with relapsing-remitting, relapsing-progressive and progressive course from onset of the disease, and from 8 patients affected with other neurological diseases (OND). A Positive signal for the gag region was found in DNA samples from cerebrospinal fluid mononuclear cells (CSFMC) of 6/17 (27.3%) MS patients (either with relapsing-remitting, or relapsing-progressive and progressive course from onset of the disease), and in 2/11 (18.2%) CSFMC OND samples. Positive hybridization for the env sequence was evident in 2/11 (18.2%) CSFMC from OND and none of MS samples. The finding of positive hybridization for gag and env sequences in a few samples of CSFMC may be related to the presence in the CSF of a great number of activated cells, which could express cross-reacting sequences of endogenous retrovirus.
Marrosu
M G
MG
Istituto di Neuropsichiatria Infantile, Università di Cagliari, Italia.
Mazzoleni
A P
AP
Galantuomo
S
S
Melis
A
A
Muntoni
F
F
Lai
E
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000175:diagnosis; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction