[Influence of mycoplasma on the production of the oncogenic leukemia virus HTLV by HUT-102 T-lymphoblastoid cells].

A suspension culture of human T-lymphoblasts HUT-102 producing type C oncovirus (HTLV) was examined electron microscopically. Control decontaminated HUT-102 cells spontaneously contaminated with M. orale and exogenously infected with M. pneumoniae were examined in ultrathin sections. The variation statistics method demonstrated that in the mycoplasma-infected cells the number of HTLV virions was significantly higher than in control cultures. It is assumed that the increased production of HTLV is due to mycoplasma-induced changes of physico-chemical properties of the cell membrane which facilitate virion budding.