title: Atopic dermatitis and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy: associated or coincidental disorders?
abstract: Reports from Jamaica have indicated that some patients with infective dermatitis or atopic dermatitis (AD) are seropositive for antibodies to human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1). We describe a 32-year-old Israeli woman with long-term AD and paresthesia in the distal parts of the extremities. Neurological examination revealed a positive Babinski's sign. HLA typing demonstrated that this patient has the common HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) and infective dermatitis haplotype for DRB1* DQB1*. The presence of HTLV-1 was demonstrated with polymerase chain reaction; HTLV-1-antibodies were detected by the Western blot method and by inoculation of the patient's peripheral blood mononuclear cells into F344 rats. This study confirms the presence of HTLV-1 antibodies and proviral genome in a patient with AD which later evolved into HAM/TSP. We cannot yet conclude whether these two diseases are associated or coincidental disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Petah Tikva, Israel.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shohat
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ben Amitai
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shohat
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mosberg
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Narinski
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Okon
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roizman
authors.forename: E P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Cowan
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: David
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D016355:Genes, pX / Q000235:genetics; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral