title: Severe demyelinating myelopathy with low human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 expression after transfusion in an immunosuppressed patient.
abstract: We describe an immunosuppressed patient who developed myelopathy after transfusion with human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1-infected blood products during cardiac transplantation; immunoglobulins and fibrinogen deposition indicated disruption of the blood-brain barrier. The low degree of inflammation and virus expression suggests that demyelination may have been caused by an antibody- and complement-mediated process and by an alteration of the spinal cord microenvironment with activation of microglial cells and astrocytes.
authors.affiliation: Unité d'Epidémiologie et Physiopathologie des Virus Oncogènes, Département des Rétrovirus, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France. sozd@pasteur.fr
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ozden
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Seilhean
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gessain
authors.forename: Jean-Jacques
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hauw
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gout
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017209:Apoptosis; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier; D003711:Demyelinating Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D008297:Male; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D005340:Fibrinogen