Detection of HTLV-I antibodies and DNA in blood sample of a patient with myelopathy in Nigeria.
We describe a case of human T-lymphotropic virus type I associated myelopathy in a 50-year old woman in Nigeria. The patient presented with progressive loss of tone to the two lower limbs and later inability to walk. The HTLV-I antibody presence in the plasma collected from the patient was repeatedly detected by enzyme immunoassays (Abbott HTLV-I EIA and Coulter SELECT-HTLV I/II) and confirmed by Western blot technique. In addition, HTLV-I DNA was amplified from the genomic DNA isolated from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the patient by the polymerase chain reaction technique. This finding is significant being the first report of association of HTLV-I with myelopathy in Nigeria.
Olaleye
O D
OD
Department of Virology, College of Medicine, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Ogunniyi
A
A
Sheng
Z J
ZJ
Li
Z
Z
Rasheed
S
S
D015153:Blotting, Western; D004267:DNA Viruses / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D005784:Gene Amplification / Q000276:immunology*; D015481:HTLV-I Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000276:immunology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
D015481:HTLV-I Antibodies