title: Development of neurologic diseases in a patient with primate T lymphotropic virus type 1 (PTLV-1).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Virus transmission from various wild and domestic animals contributes to an increased risk of emerging infectious diseases in human populations. HTLV-1 is a human retrovirus associated with acute T-cell leukemia and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). HTLV-1 originated from ancient zoonotic transmission from nonhuman primates, although cases of zoonotic infections continue to occur. Similar to HTLV-1, the simian counterpart, STLV-1, causes chronic infection and leukemia and lymphoma in naturally infected monkeys, and combined are called primate T-lymphotropic viruses (PTLV-1). However, other clinical syndromes typically seen in humans such as a chronic progressive myelopathy have not been observed in nonhuman primates. Little is known about the development of neurologic and inflammatory diseases in human populations infected with STLV-1-like viruses following nonhuman primate exposure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We performed detailed laboratory analyses on an HTLV-1 seropositive patient with typical HAM/TSP who was born in Liberia and now resides in the United States. Using a novel droplet digital PCR for the detection of the HTLV-1 tax gene, the proviral load in PBMC and cerebrospinal fluid cells was 12.98 and 51.68 %, respectively; however, we observed a distinct difference in fluorescence amplitude of the positive droplet population suggesting possible mutations in proviral DNA. A complete PTLV-1 proviral genome was amplified from the patient's PBMC DNA using an overlapping PCR strategy. Phylogenetic analysis of the envelope and LTR sequences showed the virus was highly related to PTLV-1 from sooty mangabey monkeys (smm) and humans exposed via nonhuman primates in West Africa.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results demonstrate the patient is infected with a simian variant of PTLV-1, suggesting for the first time that PTLV-1smm infection in humans may be associated with a chronic progressive neurologic disease.
authors: Viral Immunology Section, Neuroimmunology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Building 10 Room 5C-103, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
authors: Yoshimi
authors: Y
authors: Enose-Akahata
authors: Viral Immunology Section, Neuroimmunology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Building 10 Room 5C-103, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
authors: Breanna
authors: B
authors: Caruso
authors: Viral Immunology Section, Neuroimmunology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Building 10 Room 5C-103, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
authors: Benjamin
authors: B
authors: Haner
authors: Viral Immunology Section, Neuroimmunology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Building 10 Room 5C-103, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
authors: Emily
authors: E
authors: Charlip
authors: Translational Neuroradiology Unit, Neuroimmunology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors: Govind
authors: G
authors: Nair
authors: Viral Immunology Section, Neuroimmunology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Building 10 Room 5C-103, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
authors: Raya
authors: R
authors: Massoud
authors: Viral Immunology Section, Neuroimmunology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Building 10 Room 5C-103, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
authors: Bridgette J
authors: BJ
authors: Billioux
authors: Viral Immunology Section, Neuroimmunology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Building 10 Room 5C-103, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
authors: Joan
authors: J
authors: Ohayon
authors: Laboratory Branch, Division of HIV/AIDS, National Center for HIV, Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA.
authors: William M
authors: WM
authors: Switzer
authors: Viral Immunology Section, Neuroimmunology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Building 10 Room 5C-103, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA. jacobsons@ninds.nih.gov.
authors: Steven
authors: S
authors: Jacobson
mesh_terms: D000354:Africa, Western; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D006800:Deltaretrovirus Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology*; D016355:Genes, pX; D000882:Haplorhini / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000821:virology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D030261:Primate T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D011533:Proviruses / Q000235:genetics
keywords: HAM/TSP; HTLV; PTLV; STLV