Coinfection with HTLV-I and HIV: increase in HTLV-I-related outcomes but not accelerated HIV disease progression?
Human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) and HTLV-II have been postulated to accelerate disease progression in patients coinfected with HIV. However, recent evidence suggests that HTLV-II has no effect on HIV disease progression. In addition, it has recently been reported that HIV viral load was not increased in subjects coinfected with HTLV-I, suggesting that the biologic basis for the hypothesis does not exist. Several recent studies in Brazil, however, suggest that coinfection with HTLV-I and HIV has substantial medical consequences. For example, coinfection was associated with a higher CD4 lymphocytes count following adjustment for HIV viral load or HIV clinical stage. In addition, coinfected subjects have a high prevalence of clinical significant myelopathy. The effect of other putative viruses as cofactors in HIV disease progression is also discussed.
Harrison
L H
LH
Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA.
Schechter
M
M
D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D018450:Disease Progression; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015497:HIV-1; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1; D006801:Humans; D019562:Viral Load