Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is associated with a variety of clinical manifestations, including tropical spastic paraparesis or HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM). Viral detection in the central nervous system (CNS) of TSP/HAM patients demonstrates the ability of HTLV-1 to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). To investigate viral entry into the CNS, rat brain capillary endoth...

The occurrence of HTLV-I/II and HIV-1 coinfections have been shown to be frequent, probably in consequence of their similar modes of transmission. This paper presents the prevalence of coinfection of HTLV among HIV-1 infected and AIDS patients in Belém, State of Pará, Brazil. A group of 149 patients attending the AIDS Reference Unit of the State Department of Health was tested for the presence ...

BACKGROUND Human T-cell lymphotropic virus types Ι and ΙΙ (HTLV-Ι and HTLV-II) are deltaretroviruses which may cause leukemia, lymphoma and HTLV-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). In addition, HTLV-1 may be related to thalassemia and hemophilia cases after blood transfusion. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was evaluation of the prevalence of HTLVs in patients with ...

Background: HTLV-1 is endemic in Guinea-Bissau, and the highest prevalence in the adult population (5.2%) was observed in a rural area, Caió, in 1990. HIV-1 and HIV-2 are both prevalent in this area as well. Cross-sectional associations have been reported for HTLV-1 with HIV infection, but the trends in prevalence of HTLV-1 and HIV associations are largely unknown, especially in Sub Saharan Afr...

The immunopathology of human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-I) uveitis was addressed by using T cell clones (TCC) established from the intraocular fluid of patients with HTLV-I uveitis. Proviral DNA of HTLV-I was identified in 55 out of 94 (59%) or 13 out of 36 (36%) TCC from the ocular fluid or the peripheral blood of these patients, respectively. Most of HTLV-I-infected TCC had a CD3+...

Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection causes adult T-cell leukemia and several lymphocyte-mediated inflammatory diseases. Persistent HTLV-1 infection is determined by a balance between host immune responses and virus spread. Immunomodulatory therapy involving HTLV-1–infected patients occurs in a variety of clinical settings. Knowledge of how these treatments influence host-virus ...

In 1980 and 1982, Gallo et al. described the isolation of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) and type II (HTLV-II). In the majority of cases, infection with these viruses does not cause diseases. However, HTLV-I infection has been etiologically associated with neoplastic diseases and a variety of demyelinating neurologic disorders. The association of HTLV-II with leukemia pathogene...

Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), similar to interleukin-6 (IL-6), is a glycoprotein growth factor and differentiation regulator that has pleiotropic activity in several cellular systems. Recent reports of constitutive IL-6 production from spontaneously proliferating cells from human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV)-infected individuals led us to examine the expression of IL-6 and LIF during HTLV i...

Organ Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN) policy currently requires the testing of all potential organ donors for human T-cell lymphotrophic virus (HTLV)-1/2. Most Organ Procurement Organizations (OPO) use the Abbott HTLV-I/HTLV-II Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA). This assay will no longer be manufactured after December 31, 2009; the only commercially available FDA-licensed assay will be the Abb...

The human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV) is the first isolated human retrovirus, but its receptor has yet to be identified, in part due to its ubiquitous expression. Here we report that quiescent CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes do not express this receptor, as monitored with a soluble receptor-binding domain derived from the HTLV envelope. However, HTLV receptor is an early activation marker in ...