[Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 uveitis in children].
We report here five pediatric patients with human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-I) uveitis. The patients were one boy and four girls aged between 3 and 14 years. The transmission route was considered to be breast feeding from their mothers. All patients had unilateral uveitis and the ocular symptoms were similar to those in HTLV-I uveitis in adults. The ocular inflammation responded to therapy with topical or systemic corticosteroids, but recurred in three patients. HTLV-I provirus DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from infiltrating cells in the anterior chamber in one patient. The percentage of HTLV-I-infected cells in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells was measured by quantitative PCR, and the values were high (2.9 approximately 7.3%) in three cases tested as compared with an asymptomatic carrier. These five cases show that HTLV-I uveitis can be induced in a relatively short period (3 approximately 10 years) after the viral infection, and that HTLV-I uveitis should be considered as one possible etiology of uveitis in children, particularly in a viral endemic area.
Kihara
K
K
Department of Ophthalmology, Kurume University School of Medicine, Fukuoka-ken, Japan.
Tsuruda
M
M
Ono
A
A
Ikeda
E
E
Hikita
N
N
Miyata
N
N
Mochizuki
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001623:Betamethasone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology*; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014605:Uveitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology*
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D004279:DNA, Viral; D001623:Betamethasone; D011239:Prednisolone