ABSTRACT
Tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP), a neuromyelopathy predominantly involving the pyramidal tract and commonly observed in tropical and equatorial areas, was recently found to be associated with human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I). We investigated sera and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 19 patients with TSP who were from the Caribbean area, French Guiana, and Africa. Our results showed an elevated intra-blood-brain barrier IgG synthesis rate and an elevated IgG index, with an increased HTLV-I antibody-to-albumin ratio and the presence of CSF oligoclonal bands in the majority of the patients. These data, in association with similar HTLV-I antibody patterns between patients with TSP who were from these three regions, strengthen the probable etiologic role of HTLV-I in the pathogenesis of such chronic neuromyelopathies.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Viral/biosynthesis , Deltaretrovirus Infections/immunology , Deltaretrovirus/immunology , Immunoglobulin G/biosynthesis , Paralysis/immunology , Spinal Cord Diseases/immunology , Adult , Aged , Antibodies, Viral/cerebrospinal fluid , Blood-Brain Barrier , Cote d'Ivoire , Deltaretrovirus Infections/cerebrospinal fluid , Female , French Guiana , Humans , Immunoassay , Immunoglobulin G/cerebrospinal fluid , Male , Middle Aged , Muscle Spasticity , Paralysis/cerebrospinal fluid , Senegal , Spinal Cord Diseases/cerebrospinal fluid , Tropical Climate , West IndiesABSTRACT
Tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP), a neuromyelopathy predominantly involving the pyramidal tract and commonly observed in tropical and equatorial areas, was recently found to be associated with human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I). We investigated sera and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 19 patients with TSP who were from the Caribbean area, French Guiana, and Africa. Our results showed an elevated intra-blood-brain barrier IgG synthesis rate and an elevated IgG index, with an increased HTLV-I antibody-to-albumin ratio and the presence of CSF oligoclonal bands in the majority of the patients. These data, in association with similar HTLV-I antibody patterns between patients with TSP who were from these three regions, strenghten the probable etiologic role of HTLV-I in the pathogenesis of such chronic neuromyelopathies. (AU)