OBJECTIVES This paper reports for the first time three cases of infection by HTLV-I via organ transplantation; all the organs coming from the same asymptomatic infected donor. The need is considered for the implementation of compulsory screenings for HTLV antibodies on organ donors and on blood banks. METHODS The determination of antibodies for HTLV-I/II on samples of serum and cerebral spina...

About 1% of people infected with the human T-cell leukaemia virus, type 1 (HTLV-I) develop a disabling chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system known as HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). Patients with HAM/TSP have a vigorous immune response to HTLV-I, and it has been widely suggested that this immune response, particularly the HTLV-I-specific...

Objectives: This paper reports for the first time three cases of infection by HTLV-I via organ transplantation; all the organs coming from the same asymptomatic infected donor. The need is considered for the implementation of compulsory screenings for HTLV antibodies on organ donors and on blood banks. Methods: The determination of antibodies for HTLV-I/II on samples of serum and cerebral spina...

INTRODUCTION Variations in human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) proviral load (PVL) in infected individuals over time are not well understood. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the evolution of proviral load in asymptomatic individuals and HAM/TSP patients in order to help determine periodicity for measuring proviral load. METHODS A group of 104 HTLV-1 infected patients, followed at the HTLV...

Human T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma virus type I (HTLV-I) is a retrovirus that has been identified as the causative agent of HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) and other illnesses. HTLV-I infects primarily CD4(+) T cells and the transmission occurs through direct cell-to-cell contact. HAM/TSP patients harbor higher proviral loads in peripheral blood lymphocytes than...

BACKGROUND HTLV-2 infections are almost always asymptomatic, and diseases associated with the infection are rarely reported. Little information is available on the relationship between HTLV-2 proviral load and gender or expression of disease, especially among patients with HIV-1 co-infection. METHODS We studied 77 HTLV-2-infected subjects followed in our clinic for the last 9 years; 53 (69%) ...

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) infection is associated with a variety of human diseases including HTLV-I associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP), a chronic progressive inflammatory neurological disease. An important risk factor for the development of HAM/TSP is thought to be a high HTLV-I proviral load. Histopathological studies have demonstrated the presen...

OBJECTIVE To compare neurological symptoms and signs in HTLV-1 asymptomatic carriers and HTLV-1 patients with overactive bladder (OB) syndrome. METHODS We studied 102 HTLV-1 positive individuals without HAM/TSP (HTLV-1 associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis) divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of OB syndrome. Clinical interview, neurological exam and provi...

ATLL is an aggressive malignancy of T cells that affects about 5% of individuals infected with HTLV-1. The precise mechanism of oncogenesis is not known, but there is evidence that two regulatory viral proteins, Tax and HBZ, are involved. A high set point proviral load is associated with development of ATLL or a chronic inflammatory condition, HAM/TSP. Several lines of evidence, including HLA c...