Detection of the HTLV-I gene on cytologic smear slides.
OBJECTIVE
To apply the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of the HTLV-I gene from cytologic smear slides.


METHODS
Samples were from seven cases of serum anti-ATL antibody (ATLA)-positive T-cell lymphoma and three from ATLA-negative T-cell lymphoma. Six of the seven ATLA-positive cases were confirmed to be ATLL by Southern blotting. From the seventh case a fresh sample for blotting could not obtained. DNA was extracted from the cytologic smear slides of all 10 cases; they had been stained with Papanicolaou or May-Giemsa stain, digested with proteinase K and precipitated with phenol and ethanol. The target sequence in the pX region of the HTLV-I gene was amplified by PCR.


RESULTS
All seven ATLA-positive cases, including one that had not yet been confirmed by Southern blotting, showed a single band, as predicted, while the three ATLA-negative cases showed no band.


CONCLUSIONS
If cytologic smear slides are available but a fresh sample is not, the PCR method should provide evidence that the virus is present since in our study sufficient DNA templates were successfully extracted from the stained cytologic smear slides for detection of the virus.
Kashima
Kenji
K
Department of Pathology, Oita Medical University Hospital, First Department of Pathology, Oita Medical University, Oita, Japan. kkashima@oita-med.ac.jp
Nagahama
Junji
J
Sato
Keiji
K
Tanamachi
Hiroyuki
H
Gamachi
Ayako
A
Daa
Tsutomu
T
Nakayama
Iwao
I
Yokoyama
Shigeo
S
D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D015459:Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
D004279:DNA, Viral