RESUMO
The human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV-I) is endemic to the Caribbean and its importance as a possible cause of disease is increasing. Initial reports were of the association of HTLV-1 infection with adult T-cell lymphoma/leukaemia (ATL). Since then, tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP), infective dermatitis, polymyositis and more recently, crusted scabies have been reported to occur in individuals sero-positive for the virus. á2-microglobulin is a small peptide which forms the light chain of the HLA antigen that is present on the surface of nucleated cells. It has been shown to be an index to tumour burden in patients with lymphoma and to provide valuable information on the prognosis and response to therapy in patients infected with HIV. Here we reported on the serum á2-microglobulin levels in patients with lymphoma, TSP, infective dermatitis, children of HTLV-1-positive mothers and the relationship between HTLV-1 infection and á2-microglobulin levels. (AU)