Detection of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 in plasma samples.

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is an RNA virus responsible for diseases such as HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) and adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL). Cell-to-cell contact and Tax-induced clonal expansion of infected cells are the main modes of virus replication, making virus detection during the viremic stage difficult. Consequently, the proviral load is the current virologic marker for disease monitoring, but the mechanisms of progression have not been established yet.

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.

Presence of tropical spastic paraparesis/human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1-associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM)-like among HIV-1-infected patients.

Unlabelled: Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and human T-cell lymphotropic virus types 1 and 2 (HTLV-1 and -2) are retroviruses that share similar routes of transmission and some individuals may have a dual infection. These co-infected subjects may be at increased risk for tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM)-like. To study the prevalence of tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM) among co-infected HIV-1/HTLV-1 subjects.

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).

High production of RANTES and MIP-1alpha in the tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM).

Human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection is associated with progressive neurological disorders and tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM). The pathogenesis of TSP/HAM is considered as immune mediated, involving cytotoxic T cell (CTL) responses to a number of viral proteins and notably the regulation protein Tax. T CD8+ cells produce beta-chemokines, which are important in the anti-viral response.

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.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Brazilian subtype B variant showed an increasing avidity of the anti-V3 antibodies over time compared to the subtype B US/European strain in São Paulo, Brazil.

The Brazilian variant of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) subtype B, (serotype B"-GWGR), has a tryptophan replacing the proline in position 328 the HIV-1 envelope. A longer median time period from infection to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) for serotype B (B"-GWGR) infected subjects compared to the B-GPGR US/European strain was reported. In a cohort study, in São Paulo city, 10 B"-GWGR patients had a statistically significant increased avidity of the anti-V3 antibodies, from 79% +/- 33% to 85% +/- 75%, versus from 48% +/- 59% to 32% +/- 17% for the 10 B-GPGR subjects (p = 0.