Low DNA HTLV-2 proviral load among women in São Paulo City.
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.
Montanheiro
Patrícia
P
Laboratory of Dermatology and Immunology, São Paulo University Medical School, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Olah
Ingrid
I
Fukumori
Ligia M I
LM
Smid
Jerusa
J
Oliveira
Augusto César Penalva de
AC
Kanzaki
Luis I B
LI
Fonseca
Luiz Augusto M
LA
Duarte
Alberto J S
AJ
Casseb
Jorge
J
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