title: Relation between human T-lymphotropic virus type I and neurologic diseases in Panama: 1985-1990.
abstract: Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) is endemic in the Caribbean basin and in Japan. HTLV-II, a closely related virus, is endemic in several groups of native Americans, including Panamanian Guaymi. In Panama, a nationwide HTLV-I/II seroprevalence of 1-2% has been reported. We evaluated the frequency of HTLV-I/II infection in patients with neurologic diseases admitted to state tertiary hospitals in Panama City between 1985 and 1990. Nineteen of 322 patients with eligible diagnoses had antibodies to HTLV-I/II, 17 with HTLV-I and 2 with HTLV-II. HTLV-I was associated with spastic paraparesis (13 of 23, 56.5% versus 4 of 299, 1.3%, p < 0.001) and with cerebellar syndrome (2 of 13, 15.4%) and multiple sclerosis (2 of 54, 3.7%) (p < 0.05 for both diseases compared with subject with none of these diagnoses). The two HTLV-I infected patients with cerebellar syndrome later developed spastic paraparesis. HTLV-II infection was noted in one patient with cerebellar syndrome and one with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. All patients with other diagnoses were seronegative. Among patients with spastic paraparesis, HTLV-I-infected patients were clinically indistinguishable from seronegative subjects. There is apparently an overlapping clinical spectrum of neurologic diseases associated with HTLV-I and HTLV-II infection.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Conmemorativo Gorgas, Panama City, Panama.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gracia
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Castillo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Larreategui
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cedeño
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Heneine
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Blattner
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Levine
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002526:Cerebellar Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D015481:HTLV-I Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015482:HTLV-II Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D015491:HTLV-II Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000235:genetics; D015367:Human T-lymphotropic virus 2 / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010176:Panama / Q000453:epidemiology; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D013577:Syndrome
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D015481:HTLV-I Antibodies; D015482:HTLV-II Antibodies