Epidemiology and immunovirology of human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus type I-associated adult T-cell leukemia and chronic myelopathies as seen in France.

Abstract

Seventeen patients with adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) and 21 with tropical spastic paraparesis/human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus type I (HTLV-I)-associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM) were observed during a 3-yr survey (1986-1988) in some hospitals in Paris, France. Most of them were black, originating from high-HTLV-I-endemic areas (West Indies or Africa), but two cases of TSP/HAM occurred in French Caucasians. In one case, the patient acquired the virus from a transfusion during a cardiac transplantation. Most of the ATL cases were diagnosed as acute leukemia or lymphoma, with a proliferation of CD2+, CD3+, CD4+, CD8-, DR+, and CD25+ lymphoid cells. Only three cases were diagnosed as a smoldering ATL. All of the TSP/HAM cases exhibited a spastic paraparesis with a chronic and slow evolution and high HTLV-I antibody titers in serum and cerebrospinal fluid, with a high HTLV-I antibody index and specific HTLV-I immunoglobulin = oligoclonal bands. In TSP/HAM, a high percentage of DR-expressing cells (15 to 40%) was found, with a slightly elevated CD4/CD8 ratio. This was associated with the presence of 1 to 10% abnormally shaped nuclei in lymphoid cells and a polyclonal integration of HTLV-I proviruses in these peripheral blood mononuclear cells. On the contrary, a clonal integration was always found in the ATL malignant cells (leukemic, lymph node, and cutaneous infiltrate). Long-term interleukin 2-dependent T-cell lines (CD2+, CD3+, CD4+, and WT31+) with activated T-cell markers (CD25+ and DR+) producing HTLV-I were established from ATL and TSP/HAM peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

• Authors: A Gessain, O Gout, F Saal, M T Daniel, B Rio, G Flandrin, F Sigaux, O Lyon-Caen, J Periès, G de-Thé
• Journal: Cancer research (Cancer Res) Vol. 50 Issue 17 Suppl Pg. 5692S-5696S (Sep 01 1990) ISSN: 0008-5472 [Print] United States
• PMID: 2201441 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Antigens, CD
• Gene Products, env
• HTLV-I Antibodies

Topics

• Antigens, CD (analysis)
• Female
• France (epidemiology)
• Gene Products, env (analysis)
• HTLV-I Antibodies (analysis)
• Humans
• Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell (epidemiology, immunology)
• Male
• Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic (epidemiology, immunology)