An inverse correlation of HTLV-I viral load in CSF and intrathecal synthesis of HTLV-I antibodies in TSP/HAM. |
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Authors: | M Puccioni-Sohler M Rios C Bianco S W Zhu C Oliveira S A Novis M S Pombo-de-Oliveira |
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Institution: | Division of Neurology, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (HUCFF/UFRJ), Brazil. |
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Abstract: | The authors measured human T-cell lymphotrophic virus type I (HTLV-I) proviral load and intrathecal synthesis of antibodies to HTLV-I in CSF of 13 Brazilian patients with tropical spastic paraparesis/ HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (HAM). The authors also measured HTLV-I proviral load in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of five of these patients and found that it was 10- to 100-fold higher than that in CSF cells. The combination of HTLV-I proviral load and intrathecal synthesis of antibodies to HTLV-I appears to be a useful marker of disease progression. Patients with high viral load and no intrathecal synthesis of antibodies to HTLV-I had more rapidly progressing, serious clinical disease. |
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