Abbreviations: ATLL, adult T-cells leukemia-lymphoma; BAL, bronchoalveolar lavage; bp, base pair; DLco, pulmonary diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide; HAB, HTLV-I associated bronchopneumopathy; HABA, HTLV-I associated bronchiolo-alveolar disorder; HAM, HTLV-I associated myelopathy; HTLV-I, human Tcell lymphotropic virus type I; LDH, lactic acid dehydrogenase; PBMC, peripheral blood mononucle...

INTRODUCTION Human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV-I) is associated with adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) and HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). The major routes of HTLV-I transmission are mother-to-child, sexual contact, and blood transfusion. Mashhad is one of the main endemic areas in the world for HTLV-I, and minimizing the risk of HTLV-I transmission t...

The HTLV-I tax gene protein (Tax) is not packaged within the mature viral particle from which the proteins for the commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) are derived. Screening of 162 individuals within a cohort of white intravenous (IV) drug abusers, previously identified as having an increased incidence of HTLV-I infection, demonstrated that seven of them had antibod...

In order to examine the effect of HTLV-I proviral load on the pathogenesis of HAM/TSP, we measured the HTLV-I proviral load in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from a large number of HAM/TSP patients and asymptomatic HTLV-I carriers. To measure the proviral load, we used an accurate and reproducible quantitative PCR method using a dual-labeled fluorogenic probe (ABI PRISM 7700 Sequence...

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...

Human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) provirus load was examined in a cohort of a population in Guinea-Bissau among whom human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 2 is endemic. Geometric mean of HIV-2 RNA load among HTLV-I-coinfected subjects was significantly lower than that in subjects infected with HIV-2 alone (212 vs. 724 copies/mL; P=.02). Adjusted for age, sex, and HIV status, the risk...

The retroviruses known as Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Types I and II (HTLV-I and -II) were recognized before the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1). Associated diseases of HTLV-I infection, including a particular kind of leukemia or the development of a specific demyelinating disease, have also been observed. Screening of blood donors for antibodies to HTLV was mandated in November of 1988. Th...

Human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I), a human retrovirus, has been etiologically associated with adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) and with a demyelinating neurologic disorder termed tropical spastic paraparesia (TSP) or HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (HAM), and has raised concern that spread of this virus by blood transfusion may result in disease among recipients.’ HTLV-I is highly endemic in J...

Human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) is the causative agent of adult T-cell leukemia (ATL). However, the low incidence of ATL among HTLV-I-infected carriers, together with a long latent period, suggests that multiple host-viral events are involved in the progression of HTLV-I-dependent transformation and subsequent development of ATL. Human thioredoxin (TRX) is a redox active protein hig...

The prevalence of antibodies to human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) was studied in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome. Thirteen of 36 serum samples were positive by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and particle agglutination assay for antibodies to HTLV-I and were confirmed by western blotting. The presence of antibodies to HTLV-I may signify an HTLV-I carrier state. These...