[Autoimmune syndrome in the tropical spastic paraparesis/myelopathy associated with human T-lymphotropic virus infections].
BACKGROUND
Previous reports have given evidence that in tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP)/human T-lymphotrophic virus (HTLV-I)-associated myelopathy (HAM), an autoimmune process occurs as part of its pathogenesis.


OBJECTIVE
The roles of autoimmunity and the molecular mimicry was evaluated in TSP/HAM patients.


METHODS
Plasma samples were characterized from patients in the Pacific coastal region of Colombia. Thirty-seven were identified as TSP/HAM, 10 were diagnosed with adult T-cell leukemia virus, 22 were asymptomatic carriers but seropositive for HTLV-I and 20 were seronegative and served as negative controls. Plasmatic levels of the following were determined: antinuclear antibody (ANA) levels, anticardiolipine-2 (ACL-2), interferon- (IFN-gamma) and interleukin-4 (IL-4). Using Western blot, the crossreactivity of the seropositive and seronegative samples was evaluated against proteins extracted from several central nervous system components of non infected Wistar rats. The HTLV-I seropositive plasmas were crossreacted with a monoclonal tax (LT4 anti-taxp40) from spinal cord neurons of non infected Wistar rats.


RESULTS
Of the TSP/HAM patients, 70.2% were reactive against ANA and 83.8% against ACL-2, in contrast with those ATL and asymptomatic seropositives subjects that were not reactive (P<0.001). Moreover, 70.3% had detectable levels of IFN and 43.2% had detectable IL-4. LT4 anti-taxp40 and plasma of TSP/HAM exhibited cross reactivity with a MW 33-35 kDa protein from the rat spinal cord nuclei.


CONCLUSIONS
Support was provided for the existence of an autoimmune syndrome mediated by molecular mimicry; the syndrome was responsible for some of the axonal degeneration observed in TSP/HAM patients.
Domínguez
Martha C
MC
Laboratorio de Biología Molecular y Patogénesis, Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas, Escuela de Ciencias Básicas, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia.
Torres
Miyerlandi
M
Tamayo
Oscar
O
Criollo
William
W
Quintana
Milton
M
Sánchez
Adalberto
A
García
Felipe
F
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D018716:Molecular Mimicry; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology
D001323:Autoantibodies; D015415:Biomarkers