[Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis--indications of increased antiretroviral seroreactivity without obvious epidemiology].
Of 25 male and 13 female patients diagnosed as sporadic cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis between 1989 and 1992, 17 had reproducible serum antibodies against human foamy virus (HFV = human spuma retrovirus, HSRV). HFV-positive ALS patients had higher IgG3 concentrations than HFV-negatives (P < 0.05) and competed better on maedi-visna retroviral antigen than HFV-negatives or controls (P < 0.05), but did not differ otherwise. Two HFV-positive patients were living in the same building; two other ALS patients lived within 300 m of one another, and three HFV gag reactive men (2 ALS, 1 control) were living in neighbouring villages. These were the closest geographic clusters found among current patients. We summarize recent findings compatible with a pathogenetic role for endogenous and/or exogenous retroviral sequences in adult motor neuron disease, and confirm a male preponderance as well as an inverse correlation between survival time and age at onset.
Neurologische Klinik der Universität Ulm.
M E
ME
Westarp
P
P
Bartmann
R
R
Hoff-Jörgensen
J
J
Clausen
H
H
Rasmussen
H H
HH
Kornhuber
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D016358:Contact Tracing; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D012192:Retroviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D016092:Spumavirus / Q000276:immunology; D014790:Visna-maedi virus / Q000276:immunology
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G