We searched for evidence of infection by the human T-cell lymphoma/leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) in patients with multiple sclerosis (40 cases); brainstem encephalitis (1 case); Friedreich's ataxia (1 case) spactic paraparesis of unknown etiology (1 case). All patients were from the region of Abruzzo, Italy. Sera were all negative for anti-HTLV-I reactivity by the Western blotting (WB) analysis. DNAs from peripheral blood mononuclear cells were amplified using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique with primers specific for the HTLV-I gag, pol, and env proviral regions. HTLV-I sequences were amplified only in the patient with spastic paraparesis of unknown etiology. In this case, HTLV-I infection might have been related to blood transfusions received 2 years prior to the onset of the neurologic symptoms. Members of the patient's family were negative y for HTLV-I by PCR and WB. These data indicate that HTLV-I associated myelopathy is present also in Italy, but fail to substantiate an association of HTLV-I with multiple sclerosis. © 1991.
French, D., Mammarella, S., Curia, M.C., Porrini, A.M., Giampietro, A., Macor, S., et al. (1991). Amplifications of multiple regions of the HTLV-I genome from DNA of an Italian spastic paraparesis patient but not from DNA of multiple sclerosis patients. JOURNAL OF THE NEUROLOGICAL SCIENCES, 103(1), 82-89 [10.1016/0022-510X(91)90288-I].
Amplifications of multiple regions of the HTLV-I genome from DNA of an Italian spastic paraparesis patient but not from DNA of multiple sclerosis patients
Lugaresi A.Writing – Review & Editing
;
1991
Abstract
We searched for evidence of infection by the human T-cell lymphoma/leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) in patients with multiple sclerosis (40 cases); brainstem encephalitis (1 case); Friedreich's ataxia (1 case) spactic paraparesis of unknown etiology (1 case). All patients were from the region of Abruzzo, Italy. Sera were all negative for anti-HTLV-I reactivity by the Western blotting (WB) analysis. DNAs from peripheral blood mononuclear cells were amplified using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique with primers specific for the HTLV-I gag, pol, and env proviral regions. HTLV-I sequences were amplified only in the patient with spastic paraparesis of unknown etiology. In this case, HTLV-I infection might have been related to blood transfusions received 2 years prior to the onset of the neurologic symptoms. Members of the patient's family were negative y for HTLV-I by PCR and WB. These data indicate that HTLV-I associated myelopathy is present also in Italy, but fail to substantiate an association of HTLV-I with multiple sclerosis. © 1991.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
