Quantitative differences in HTLV-I antibody responses: classification and relative risk assessment for asymptomatic carriers and ATL and HAM/TSP patients from Jamaica.
Adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) and human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I)-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) are known to be caused by HTLV-I infection. However, current methods used to determine HTLV-I infection do not differentiate between HTLV-I asymptomatic carriers (ACs) and ATL and HAM/TSP patients. Using the luciferase immunoprecipitation system, a highly sensitive, quantitative technology that can efficiently detect HTLV-I Ab responses, we examined Ab responses for HTLV-I in serum/plasma samples from 439 subjects in Jamaica, including HTLV-I-seronegative donors, ACs, and ATL and HAM/TSP patients. The Ab responses of HTLV-I-infected subjects differed significantly from those of seronegative donors for all 3 immunodominant proteins, Gag, Env, and Tax. HAM/TSP patients had significantly higher Ab responses for Gag and Env compared with ACs, and Ab responses for all 3 Ags were higher in HAM/TSP patients than in ATL patients. Moreover, immunoreactivities for HTLV-I Ags as determined by the luciferase immunoprecipitation system could distinguish HAM/TSP patients from ACs at a true-positive rate of 85.42% and from ATL patients at a true-positive rate of 75.00%, and modeled in conjunction with subject information to distinguish HAM/TSP patients from ACs (odds ratio = 14.12) and from ATL patients (odds ratio = 7.00). The relative risk assessment resulting from these significant differences between Ab responses in HTLV-I-infected groups may be a useful diagnostic tool in the future.
Viral Immunology Section, Neuroimmunology Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Yoshimi
Y
Enose-Akahata
Anna
A
Abrams
Kory R
KR
Johnson
Elizabeth M
EM
Maloney
Steven
S
Jacobson
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D047468:Immunoprecipitation; D007563:Jamaica; D015459:Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D015415:Biomarkers