Human T-lymphotropic virus type I-associated myelopathy in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • We describe two cases of serologically confirmed human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I)-associated myelopathy involving North American men coinfected by the human immunodeficiency virus type 1. Our first patient suffered from a gradually progressive spastic paraparesis for 10 years prior to presenting with Kaposi's sarcoma, while our second patient developed subacutely progressive spastic paraparesis in the setting of full-blown acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Autopsy examination of the spinal cords from these two cases revealed widespread axonal loss and demyelination principally involving the lateral columns of case no. 1 and the lateral and anterior columns of case no. 2. Vascular sclerosis and hyalinization were prominent in both cases, but in neither was there a conspicuous inflammatory component. In case no. 2, HTLV-I mRNA was not detected by in situ hybridization, but HTLV-I proviral DNA sequences were detected in this case by polymerase chain reaction. Neither case exhibited multinucleated cell (human immunodeficiency virus type 1) myelitis, vacuolar myelopathy, or evidence of HTLV-II infection by polymerase chain reaction assay.

publication date

  • May 1, 1992

Research

keywords

  • Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
  • HIV-1
  • Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic
  • Spinal Cord Diseases

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0026740164

PubMed ID

  • 1568747

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 23

issue

  • 5