Immunological mapping in hereditary epidermolysis bullosa.

Immunological mapping, an immunofluorescence technique, is currently the method most used to diagnose and differentiate the principal types of hereditary epidermolysis bullosa, since this technique is capable of determining the level of cleavage of this mechanobullous disease.

Direct and indirect immunofluorescence.

Immunofluorescence is a valuable auxiliary diagnostic tool for autoimmune bullous diseases and inflammatory disorders, since their clinical and histopathologic findings may be inconclusive. It is a feasible laboratory method that requires experienced technicians and detects in situ and circulating immune deposits that may be involved in the pathogenesis of such skin diseases.

Neither molecular diversity of the envelope, immunosuppression status, nor proviral load causes indeterminate HTLV western blot profiles in samples from human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 2 (HTLV-2)-infected individuals.

Although human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 2 (HTLV-2) is considered of low pathogenicity, serological diagnosis is important for counseling and monitoring. The confirmatory tests most used are Western blot (WB) and PCR. However, in high-risk populations, about 50% of the indeterminate WB were HTLV-2 positives by PCR.

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 infective dermatitis emerging in adulthood.

Background: Infective dermatitis (ID) is a rare dermatologic condition of childhood that has been linked to human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1).

Objective: To analyze the clinical and laboratory features associated with adult-onset ID linked to HTLV-1.

Methods: From December 1995 to December 2007, four patients with ID were followed in the dermatology outpatient clinic of the "Hospital das Clínicas" of the University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil.

Low DNA HTLV-2 proviral load among women in São Paulo City.

Background: HTLV-2 infections are almost always asymptomatic, and diseases associated with the infection are rarely reported. Little information is available on the relationship between HTLV-2 proviral load and gender or expression of disease, especially among patients with HIV-1 co-infection.

Methods: We studied 77 HTLV-2-infected subjects followed in our clinic for the last 9 years; 53 (69%) of them were co-infected with HIV-1.

T CD4+ cells count among patients co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1): high prevalence of tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM).

Introduction: HIV positive patients co-infected with HTLV-1 may have an increase in their T CD4+ cell counts, thus rendering this parameter useless as an AIDS-defining event.

Objective: To study the effects induced by the co-infection of HIV-1 and HTLV-1 upon CD4+ cells.

Material And Methods: Since 1997, our group has been following a cohort of HTLV-1-infected patients, in order to study the interaction of HTLV-1 with HIV and/or with hepatitis C virus (HCV), as well as HTLV-1-only infected asymptomatic carriers and those with tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-1 associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM).

Clinical and epidemiological aspects of HTLV-II infection in São Paulo, Brazil: presence of tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM) simile diagnosis in HIV-1-co-infected subjects.

In this study, the epidemiological and clinical features observed in solely HTLV-II-infected individuals were compared to those in patients co-infected with HIV-1. A total of 380 subjects attended at the HTLV Out-Patient Clinic in the Institute of Infectious Diseases "Emilio Ribas" (IIER), São Paulo, Brazil, were evaluated every 3-6 months for the last seven years by infectious disease specialists and neurologists. Using a testing algorithm that employs the enzyme immuno assay, Western Blot and polymerase chain reaction, it was found that 201 (53%) were HTLV-I positive and 50 (13%) were infected with HTLV-II.

Endemic pemphigus foliaceus (fogo selvagem) and pemphigus vulgaris: immunoglobulin G heterogeneity detected by indirect immunofluorescence.

Unlabelled: Pemphigus are autoimmune intraepidermal blistering diseases in which immunoglobulin G (IgG) autoantibodies are directed against desmosomal glycoproteins. The aim of this study was to determine the IgG subclass profile of endemic pemphigus foliaceus (fogo selvagem) and pemphigus vulgaris utilizing indirect immunofluorescence.

Patients And Methods: Twenty-five patients with pemphigus vulgaris, 25 with endemic pemphigus foliaceus (fogo selvagem), and 25 healthy controls were analyzed by indirect immunofluorescence for circulating autoantibodies (total IgG and its subclasses).

Prevalence of antinuclear autoantibodies in the serum of normal blood dornors.

Objective: To examine the presence of serum antinuclear autoantibodies in a healthy population.

Methods: Serum of 500 normal blood donors between 18 and 60 years of age were tested for the presence of autoantibodies. Antinuclear antibodies were detected by indirect immunofluorescence technique using HEp-2 epithelial cells as the substrate.