title: Clinical, morphological and virological features of an HTLV-I-positive case of ATL in a white man from the Caucasus.
abstract: An HTLV-I-associated case of adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) was described in a 51-year-old white man, native from Georgia, the former U.S.S.R. Clinical manifestation of the disease (enlarged lymph nodes, bone marrow and peripheral blood changes, CNS-involvement, cutaneous lesions and hypercalcemia) as well as laboratory findings were recognized to be very similar to those frequently observed in ATL patients from endemic regions. Mature T-helper surface phenotype detected on peripheral blood lymphocytes of the patient (OKT3-, OKT4+ and OKT8-) and aggressive course of the disease were also in favour of classical type ATL developed in the patient. The HTLV-I antibody presence in an ATL patient was repeatedly confirmed by serological tests (Abbott HTLV-I EIA and Serodia HTLV-I), immunofluorescence and Western blot assay. The latter revealed the presence of a large spectrum of HTLV-I-specific antibodies (to p19, p24, p26, p28, p32, p36, pr53, gp21, gp46, gp62 and gp68 of HTLV-1). The HTLV-I-specific antibodies have also been detected in serum samples of the patient's wife and son. The presence of HTLV-I provirus in the primary ATL patient's PBL was clearly demonstrated by PCR and Southern blot analysis. This case, with the HTLV-I infections detected in two other family members, suggests that in Europe, HTLV-I-positive cases of ATL can occur in virus-infected local people with much wider distribution than that hitherto supposed.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Center, Russian Academy of Medical Science, Moscow.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gurtsevitch
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Senjuta
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pavlish
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pivnik
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yakhnina
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Stepina
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kremenetskaya
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kaplanskaya
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Syrtsev
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D015153:Blotting, Western; D015686:Gene Products, env / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D005814:Genes, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000150:complications*; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D015458:Leukemia, T-Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011533:Proviruses / Q000235:genetics; D015682:Retroviridae Proteins, Oncogenic / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D015703:Antigens, CD; D015686:Gene Products, env; D015682:Retroviridae Proteins, Oncogenic; C055266:gp46 protein, Human T-cell leukemia virus type I