title: HTLV-I associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP): a chronic progressive neurologic disease associated with immunologically mediated damage to the central nervous system.
abstract: This review examines information on clinical, pathological and immunological events in the slowly progressive neurologic disorder associated with the human T lymphotropic virus type-I (HTLV-I) termed HTLV-I associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). The role of cellular immune responses to HTLV-I in patients with HAM/TSP and how these responses may be associated with the pathogenesis of this disorder will be discussed. While a number of immunologic responses have been shown to be abnormal in HAM/TSP patients, studies on HTLV-I specific cytotoxic T cell responses (CTL) will be specifically examined. By defining such antigen specific functional cellular host responses to HTLV-I we hope to better understand the underlying mechanisms that may be involved in the neuropathology of HTLV-I associated neurologic disease. This has led to a number of HTLV-I associated immunopathogenic models that may be operative in HAM/TSP patients. Importantly, based on these models, potential immunotherapeutic strategies for disease intervention can be devised. Moreover, such an analysis may have significant implications for our understanding of other HTLV-I associated clinical disorders and other neurological diseases in which viral etiologies have been suggested.
authors.affiliation: Neuroimmunology Branch, National Institutes of Neurologic Disease and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1400, USA.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jacobson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000473:pathology; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000473:pathology; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology