Non-AIDS retroviral infections in humans.
In the decade since the first human retrovirus was identified, one form of leukemia and a chronic neurological disorder have been shown to be related to this agent. A spectrum of lymphomas, additional inflammatory disorders such as polymyositis, and possibly other neurological diseases also have been linked to HTLV-I infection. Although the pathogenesis of these disorders remains to be defined, these exciting developments coupled with the discovery that AIDS is a retroviral-induced disease indicate that human retroviruses are responsible for a variety of human disorders and suggest that other agents such as members of the foamy virus subfamily, as well as yet unidentified human retroviruses, may produce other human diseases.
McFarlin
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Neuroimmunology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
Blattner
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WA
D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000209:etiology / Q000635:transmission; D015491:HTLV-II Infections / Q000209:etiology / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D015458:Leukemia, T-Cell / Q000382:microbiology; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000382:microbiology