title: Cutaneous manifestations of human T cell leukemia virus type I infection in an experimental model.
abstract: Skin diseases ranging from infective dermatitis to cutaneous lymphoma have been associated with human T cell leukemia virus (HTLV) type I. A generalized exfoliative papillated dermatopathy occurred in a rabbit 20 months into a course of chronic HTLV-I infection. Biopsies revealed epidermotropic T cell infiltrates, including Sezary-like cells, that resulted in a pattern mimicking cutaneous T cell lymphoma. HTLV-I was isolated from affected skin, and virus expression was detected in cutaneous cultures. Sezary-like cells also occurred in circulation. Interleukin-2-independent lymphocyte cultures, established from blood exhibiting elevated CD8 T cell levels and CD25 expression, had polyclonal integration of provirus. The findings are similar to those in evolving adult T cell leukemia lymphoma and may represent a prelymphomatous change. The cutaneous lymphoproliferative lesion resulted from HTLV-I infection and further establishes the New Zealand White rabbit inoculated with the RH/K34 cell line as a suitable model for investigation of HTLV-I pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immunogentics, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland 20852, USA.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leno
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Hubbard
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Kindt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015342:DNA Probes / Q000235:genetics; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015752:Genes, env; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011817:Rabbits; D017193:Skin Diseases, Viral / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D015342:DNA Probes; D004279:DNA, Viral