Human T lymphotropic virus type 1 in a seronegative B chronic lymphocytic leukemia patient.
Human T lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is the etiological agent of adult T cell leukemia and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis. HTLV-1 infection in patients with B cell-type chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) is rare and has been reported only in areas in which HTLV-1 is endemic. In the present study, we detected HTLV-1 proviral DNA by polymerase chain reaction, using tax primers, in peripheral blood lymphocytes from a B-CLL patient, an immigrant to Israel, where HTLV-1 infection is not endemic. F344 rats injected intravenously with peripheral blood lymphocytes obtained from the patient developed HTLV-1 antibodies. Titers of antibody to HTLV-1 in the rat blood were 1:512 by particle agglutination; enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blotting were also positive. No antibody against HTLV-1 was demonstrated in the animal model after inoculation of either purified B lymphocytes from the B-CLL patient or peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy donors. This is one of the few studies showing the presence of HTLV-1 provirus in T lymphocytes of a B-CLL patient who had multiple infections, and died of salmonella sepsis, and the first report of HTLV-1 antibody induction in an animal model by inoculation of lymphocytes obtained from an HTLV-1-infected B-CLL patient.
Stark
Pinhas
P
Institute of Hematology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, 49100 Petah Tiqva, Israel. starkp@post.tau.ac.il
Bodemer
Walter
W
Hannig
Horst
H
Luboshitz
Jacob
J
Shaklai
Matityahu
M
Shohat
Batya
B
D000368:Aged; D000372:Agglutination Tests; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D015480:Deltaretrovirus Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D015485:Deltaretrovirus Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology*; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D018805:Sepsis; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000821:virology*
D015480:Deltaretrovirus Antibodies; D015485:Deltaretrovirus Antigens