Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 expression in the central nervous system correlates directly with extent of disease.
To investigate human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) pathogenesis in infected individuals and examine the correlation of HIV-1 expression with extent of clinical and pathologic disease, we studied spinal cords from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome patients with a wide range of spinal cord pathology. By performing in situ hybridization with HIV-1-specific riboprobes, we detected HIV-1 RNA in all 10 cords from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome patients with a common, characteristic pathologic entity called vacuolar myelopathy but not in 10 control cords from HIV-1-infected and uninfected patients. In the cords from individuals with vacuolar myelopathy, the level of HIV-1 RNA expression correlated directly with extent of spinal cord pathology and clinical findings. These data support a role for HIV-1 in the pathogenesis of tissue damage and related clinical disease in infected individuals.
Weiser
B
B
Department of Medicine, State University of New York, Stony Brook 11794.
Peress
N
N
La Neve
D
D
Eilbott
D J
DJ
Seidman
R
R
Burger
H
H
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D001344:Autopsy; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005814:Genes, Viral; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D015347:RNA Probes; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D014617:Vacuoles / Q000648:ultrastructure
D015347:RNA Probes