Infective dermatitis associated with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1: evaluation of 42 cases observed in Bahia, Brazil.

Background: Infective dermatitis associated with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1; IDH) is a chronic recurrent eczema affecting HTLV-1-infected children. The epidemiological and dermatological characteristics of IDH are described, and their principal diagnostic criteria are reevaluated.

Methods: Forty-two patients were included: 40 patients serologically positive for HTLV-1 and 2 seronegative patients who tested positive in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays.