PMID: 8956367Nov 1, 1996Paper

Determination of the true prevalence of infection with the human T-cell lymphotropic viruses (HTLV-I/II) may require a combination of biomolecular and serological analyses

Proceedings of the Association of American Physicians
B A PancakeP M Legler

Abstract

Infection with the human T-cell lymphotropic virus types I and II (HTLV-I/II) usually is determined by tests that detect antibodies to the viral structural proteins. However, recent studies revealed that patients with mycosis fungoides have proviral DNA sequences related to the HTLV transactivating-transforming gene tax, without having antibodies to the virus. These results raised the possibility that the prevalence of HTLV infection in the general population of the United States also may be underestimated. To reassess the prevalence of HTLV-I/II infection effectively, a population at increased risk for infection (i.e., a cohort of injection drug users [IDUs]) was studied. Paired sera and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 81 IDUs were subjected to testing by Western blot analysis for antibodies to the viral structural proteins gag and env and by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) Southern analysis to detect gag, pol and tax proviral DNA sequences. Western blot assays showed 1 of 81 IDUs to be positive for HTLV-I, 14 to be positive for antibodies to HTLV-II, and 3 to be HTLV-serotype indeterminate. When whole-cell lysates of PBMCs from these individuals were subjected to PCR and Southern analysis. 39 of 81 were found ...Continue Reading

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