HTLV-I/II seroindeterminate Western blot reactivity in a cohort of patients with neurological disease.
The human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) is associated with a chronic, progressive neurological disease known as HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis. Screening for HTLV-I involves the detection of virus-specific serum antibodies by EIA and confirmation by Western blot. HTLV-I/II seroindeterminate Western blot patterns have been described worldwide. However, the significance of this blot pattern is unclear. We identified 8 patients with neurological disease and an HTLV-I/II seroindeterminate Western blot pattern, none of whom demonstrated increased spontaneous proliferation and HTLV-I-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity. However, HTLV-I tax sequence was amplified from the peripheral blood lymphocytes of 4 of them. These data suggest that patients with chronic progressive neurological disease and HTLV-I/II Western blot seroindeterminate reactivity may harbor either defective HTLV-I, novel retrovirus with partial homology to HTLV-I, or HTLV-I in low copy number.
Soldan
S S
SS
Viral Immunology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
Graf
M D
MD
Waziri
A
A
Flerlage
A N
AN
Robinson
S M
SM
Kawanishi
T
T
Leist
T P
TP
Lehky
T J
TJ
Levin
M C
MC
Jacobson
S
S
D000328:Adult; D015153:Blotting, Western / Q000379:methods; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005814:Genes, Viral; D015481:HTLV-I Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D015482:HTLV-II Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D015491:HTLV-II Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology*; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015367:Human T-lymphotropic virus 2 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
D015481:HTLV-I Antibodies; D015482:HTLV-II Antibodies