HTLV-I provirus in seronegative Chilean patients with tropical spastic paraparesis

Abstract

Infection with human T lymphotropic virus I (HTLV-I) has been associated with tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP) or HTLV-I-associated myelopathy. 1 Bartholomew C Cleghorn F Charles W et al. HTLV-I and tropical spastic paraparesis. Lancet. 1986; ii: 1247-1248 Google Scholar Studies from Chile have shown that 50% of patients with TSP are HTLV-I seropositive. 2 Cartier L Mora C Araya F et al. HTLV-I positive spastic paraparesis in a temperate zone. Lancet. 1989; i: 556 Abstract Scopus (50) Google Scholar Diagnosis of this infection is mainly by detection of specific antibodies. With this method we studied HTLV-I infection in 250 patients with TSP and other neurological illness. 3 Galeno H Ramírez E Mora J et al. Anti HTLV-I antibody titers in seropositive infected individuals. Rev Méd Chile. 1994; 122: 1004-1007 PubMed Google Scholar Recently, PCR has enabled diagnosis of this infection by detecting provirus in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Some researchers have reported seronegative individual infected with HTLV-I. 4 Nishimura M Minglioli E McFarlin D et al. Demonstration of human t-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) from an HTLV-I seronegative south Indian patient with chronic, progressive spastic paraparesis. Ann Neurol. 1993; 34: 867-870 Crossref PubMed Scopus (11) Google Scholar