Flower cells in patients with infective dermatitis associated with HTLV-1.

BACKGROUND Infective dermatitis associated with HTLV-1 (IDH) is a severe childhood form of eczema that may progress to adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL). OBJECTIVE In this study, the presence of clinical and laboratory parameters suggestive of ATL was evaluated in a cohort of 30 patients with IDH. STUDY DESIGN Over a period of 33 months, the patients were submitted to three-monthly clinical evaluations, routine laboratory exams, full blood count and blood smears, and to six-monthly blood sampling for HTLV-1 proviral load determination. HTLV-1 proviral load was quantified using real-time TaqMan PCR assay. RESULTS Abnormal cells (Ably) were found in the peripheral blood smears of nine patients (30%), flower cells being detected in five of these cases (16.6%). The presence of Ably and flower cells was not associated with a higher proviral load in those patients. CONCLUSIONS This is the first report on the presence of flower cells in HTLV-1-infected children and adolescents. Furthermore, these cells have not previously been reported in IDH patients. The cases with flower cells probably represent precursory ATL cases, these patients being at a greater risk of developing ATL.