Intra-blood-brain-barrier synthesis of HTLV-III-specific IgG in patients with neurologic symptoms associated with AIDS or AIDS-related complex.
Intra-blood-brain-barrier production of virus-specific antibody is good evidence of infection within the blood-brain barrier. Patients with the acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) have an increased incidence of neurologic abnormalities--i.e., unexplained, diffuse encephalopathy manifested clinically as chronic progressive dementia. To define the role of human T-cell lymphotropic virus Type III (HTLV-III), the etiologic agent of AIDS, in the pathogenesis of neurologic dysfunction, we compared cerebrospinal fluid and serum from patients with neurologic symptoms associated with AIDS and the AIDS-related complex for the presence of antibodies directed against HTLV-III. Antibodies directed against HTLV-III antigens were detected by four immunologic tests: a fixed-cell immunofluorescence assay, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunoblots of viral lysates, and immunoprecipitation of cellular lysates. All patients were seropositive, and 22 of 23 (96 per cent) had HTLV-III-specific antibodies in their cerebrospinal fluid. Unique oligoclonal IgG bands were detected in the cerebrospinal fluid, and the rate of IgG synthesis within the blood-brain barrier was elevated. In eight of nine patients tested, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed that the percentage of HTLV-III-specific IgG in cerebrospinal fluid was higher than in serum, suggesting that HTLV-III infection of neurologic tissue occurs in the majority of patients with neurologic disease associated with AIDS or its related complex.
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017977:Deltaretrovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D003704:Dementia / Q000209:etiology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D011233:Precipitin Tests
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G