title: The HTLV-1 neurological complex.
abstract: Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a retrovirus that infects about 20 million people worldwide and causes immune-mediated diseases of the nervous system. The classic neurological presentation of HTLV-1 infection is a myelopathy called HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). However, HAM/TSP is not the only neurological outcome that can result from HTLV-1 infection. In this Personal View, we show that HTLV-1 has a broader neurological spectrum than the names HAM/TSP suggest and that people infected with this virus can present with various isolated or assorted syndromes.
authors.affiliation: The Reference Centres for Neurological Infection and HTLV, IPEC-FIOCRUZ, Brazil. abelardo@ipec.fiocruz.br
authors.forename: Abelardo Q C
authors.initials: AQ
authors.lastname: Araujo
authors.forename: Marcus Tulius T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Silva
mesh_terms: D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology