title: Benign monoclonal T cell proliferation in HTLV-I infection.
abstract: A spectrum of carrier states in human T lymphotropic virus type-I (HTLV-I) infection is proposed. The suspected process of clonal selection of HTLV-I infected cells results in the spectrum of nonfatal states from polyclonal to monoclonal virus integration. This idea is based on the discovery that monoclonal proviral HTLV-I DNA was detected in the fresh peripheral blood lymphocytes from some patients with HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), a nonfatal chronic neurological disorder.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Osame
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ijichi
mesh_terms: D002353:Carrier State; D002999:Clone Cells / Q000276:immunology; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D015459:Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell / Q000209:etiology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008954:Models, Biological; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000209:etiology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*