title: Occurrence of human T cell lymphotropic virus (type I) antibodies in cutaneous T cell lymphoma.
abstract: Of 315 patients from Scandinavia and West Germany with cutaneous T cell lymphoma, thirty-six (11.4%) had specific antibodies reactive against human T cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I). Among the HTLV-I antibody-positive patients, one had Sézary syndrome; five, mycosis fungoides, plaque stage; sixteen, mycosis fungoides, plaque stage with nondiagnostic histologic features; and three, lymphomatoid papulosis. All the patients from the Copenhagen area had several samples taken during the course of their disease, but the HTLV-I antibody titer was unaltered independent of the clinical stage the individual patient had at the time of the study. Eighty-three patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were tested for HTLV-I antibodies, and all except two showed negative results. The finding of specific antibodies reactive against HTLV-I in cutaneous T cell lymphoma suggests that a retrovirus related to HTLV-I plays an important role in the pathogenesis of cutaneous T cell lymphoma.
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D017977:Deltaretrovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006800:Deltaretrovirus Infections / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000276:immunology*; D012867:Skin / Q000276:immunology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral