[Lack of air conditioning and mycotoxin poisoning are basic co-factors in tropical spastic paraparesis].
BACKGROUND
Chronic idiopathic spastic paraparesis (CHISPA) have been associated to HTLV-I virus infection, and unknown environmental factors have been suggested to play a role in its pathogenesis.


METHODS
Based in our previous studies we wanted to know if the lack of refrigerators and the mycotoxin contamination of food might have any relationship with the presence of CHISPA in patients living at southeastern Colombia.


RESULTS
Interestingly only four out of 15 patients with CHISPA had some method of refrigeration, in, 14 out of these 15 patients at least a metabolite of Fusarium was detected.


CONCLUSIONS
The fact that mycotoxins found in the urine samples of these patients are immunosuppressors and demyelinating allow us to suggest that these toxins could be the most important environmental cofactors leading to the susceptible people to the clinically established disease.
León
F E
FE
Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA.
Carpintero
M
M
Bayona
J
J
Gaffga
N
N
Ocampo
L
L
del Castillo
N
N
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000389:Air Conditioning; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003105:Colombia; D006800:Deltaretrovirus Infections / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000150:complications; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009183:Mycotoxins / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000652:urine; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000209:etiology* / Q000821:virology
D009183:Mycotoxins