title: HTLV-negative and HTLV type I-positive tropical spastic paraparesis in northeastern Brazil.
abstract: A type-specific serological survey among 1042 random nonneurological outpatients in two cities in the state of Ceara (northeastern Brazil) shows a low prevalence of HTLV-I (0.34% in Fortaleza; 0.44% in Crato) and of HTLV-II (0.34% in Fortaleza; 0% in Crato). Among 62 chronic myelopathic patients seen in Fortaleza 27 patients were found with clinical features of tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP); 10 of 27 were found HTLV-I seropositive (37%; 95% confidence limits, 19-58%). Proviral genome detection by polymerase chain reaction in 5 seropositive and 12 seronegative patients confirmed the serological findings. This excludes HTLV-I or -II infection as a cause in the seronegative TSP patients. The HTLV-positive and -negative patients did not differ clinically and by history, except that seropositives had a longer mean disease duration, a female predominance, and a higher proportion of white Caucasians. In this population with low HTLV-I and HTLV-II prevalences, HTLV-negative TSP is at least as frequent as the HTLV-I-associated TSP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospital, Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Goubau
authors.forename: H F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Vandamme
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: da Cunha
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Desmyter
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Carton
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015367:Human T-lymphotropic virus 2 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000821:virology*; D015995:Prevalence; D044465:White People