Human T-cell leukemia virus I provirus and antibodies in a captive gorilla with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Antibodies reactive against human T-cell leukemia virus I (HTLV-I) were detected by indirect immunofluorescence assay using MT-2 as target cells, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay screen and competition assay, and Western blot analysis in three sera (one collected in 1979) from a captive gorilla which developed diffuse histiocytic lymphoma in 1983. The sera from four other healthy gorillas housed separately were HTLV-I antibody negative. All sera were negative for HTLV-III antibodies by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Southern blot analysis of DNA from lymphoma tissue after digestion with BamHI and using complete HTLV-I genome probe gave one 10-kilobase fragment and a characteristic 1.05-kilobase internal fragment detected in all known HTLV-I isolates. These results indicate that the gorilla was infected with HTLV-I or a closely related simian virus several years before the development of lymphoma.
D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D017977:Deltaretrovirus / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006071:Gorilla gorilla / Q000382:microbiology*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008970:Molecular Weight
D000914:Antibodies, Viral