Title: DEFECTIVE HTLV-1 PROVIRUS IN SERONEGATIVES PATIENTS WITH TSP/HAM
Abstract:P022 Infection with Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus type I (HTLV-I) has been associated with the development of the Tropical Spastic Paraparesis or HTLV-I Associated Myelopathy (TSP/HAM). Diagnosis of...P022 Infection with Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus type I (HTLV-I) has been associated with the development of the Tropical Spastic Paraparesis or HTLV-I Associated Myelopathy (TSP/HAM). Diagnosis of this viral infection is mainly done by detection of specific antibodies reacting with viral antigens. However, Chilean and others (Colombian and Brazilian) research's have found that almost 40% TSP patients are HTLV-I seronegatives. We previously showed the presence of 158 bp of tax gene of HTLV-I provirus in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMC) from 10 seronegative patients with TSP. Now we studied the presence of HTLV-I provirus in PBMC from other 20 seronegative patients with TSP/HAM by PCR. We amplified different genomic regions of HTLV-I using primers of ltr (LIRl/LTR6) tax (SK43/SK44), env/tax (SG452/SG453) and pX(pX/pX) genes. The 158 bp amplified product of tax gene (SK43/SK44) was detected from 16 patients, 4 of them was also positive with SG452/SG453 primers of env/tax region. All patients were negative with hr and pX primers. These results showed the presence of a defective HTLV-I: provirus in these seronegatives patients with TSP/HAM and suggest the possible pathogenic role of this truncated provirus.Read More