title: Low DNA HTLV-2 proviral load among women in São Paulo City.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  HTLV-2 infections are almost always asymptomatic, and diseases associated with the infection are rarely reported. Little information is available on the relationship between HTLV-2 proviral load and gender or expression of disease, especially among patients with HIV-1 co-infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 77 HTLV-2-infected subjects followed in our clinic for the last 9 years; 53 (69%) of them were co-infected with HIV-1. HTLV-2 DNA proviral load (PVL) was measured by real time PCR, a test with a sensitivity of 10 in 10(4) PBMCs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six of 53HTLV-2/HIV-1 cases had a myelopathy (all of them had undetectable PVL of HTLV-2). Only 3 of 35 women (2 out of 3 co-infected with HIV) had a detectable PVL, whereas 10 of 42 men had a detectable PVL. Regardless of their HIV status women had significantly lower PVL than men (10 vs. 43 copies/10(4) PBMCs, p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We noticed the occurrence of myelopathy in HTLV-2/HIV-1 co-infected patients, with undetectable HTLV-2 viral load. There was a sex difference in viral load for HTLV-2, what may be the result in mode of transmission or acquisition of the virus.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Dermatology and Immunology, São Paulo University Medical School, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Patrícia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Montanheiro
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Olah
authors.forename: Ligia M I
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Fukumori
authors.forename: Jerusa
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smid
authors.forename: Augusto César Penalva de
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Luis I B
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Kanzaki
authors.forename: Luiz Augusto M
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.forename: Alberto J S
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Casseb
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000502:physiology; D015491:HTLV-II Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D015367:Human T-lymphotropic virus 2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D011533:Proviruses / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012737:Sex Factors; D019562:Viral Load