[Seropositivity of anti-HTLV-II antibodies in patients with HTLV-I-associated myelopathy and adult T-cell leukemia].
Dr Kira et al. (Lancet 1991, 338: 64-65) stress the high incidence of the co-infection with HTLV-I and HTLV-II in the HTLV-I associated myelopathy or tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) detected by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). They showed that 67% of HAM/TSP patients and 6% of healthy carriers had the co-infection. They suggested the co-infection might be important for the development of the myelopathy. Recently, we have analyzed the seropositivity of antibodies to HTLV-I and II in Adult T-cell Leukemia (ATL), HAM/TSP and carriers in Japan using SELECT-HTLV (IAF Biochem International Inc., Montreal, Canada). This system was a solid phase enzyme immunoassay utilizing synthetic peptides to differentiate between antibodies to type I and II. We examined 101 samples (31 ATL patients, 20 HAM/TSP and 50 carriers) which were all positive with the particle agglutination (PA, Fujirebio, Tokyo) and ELISA (Eisai, Tokyo). All samples were negative with HTLV-II and positive with HTLV-I. The results of our serological survey suggested that HTLV-II did not associate with the etiology of ATL and HAM/TSP in Japan.
Nishimura
Y
Y
Blood Transfusion Service, Kumamoto University Medical School.
Yoshiki
K
K
Yamaguchi
K
K
Kiyokawa
T
T
Takatsuki
K
K
D015482:HTLV-II Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D015491:HTLV-II Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D015459:Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*
D015482:HTLV-II Antibodies