Antibody titers to HTLV-I-p40tax protein and gag-env hybrid protein in HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis: Correlation with increased HTLV-I proviral DNA load

• Published in: Journal of the neurological sciences Vol. 107; no. 1; pp. 98 - 104
• Main Authors: Kira, Jun-ichi, Nakamura, Minoru, Sawada, Takashi, Koyanagi, Yoshio, Ohori, Nobuhira, Itoyama, Yasuto, Yamamoto, Naoki, Sakaki, Yoshiyuki, Goto, Ikuo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Science 01.01.1992
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Cerebrospinal fluid. Meninges. Spinal cord; DNA, Viral - metabolism; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Follow-Up Studies; Gene Products, gag - immunology; Gene Products, gag - metabolism; Gene Products, tax - immunology; Gene Products, tax - metabolism; HTLV-I Antibodies - analysis; Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 - immunology; Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 - metabolism; Humans; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurology; Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic - immunology; Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic - metabolism; Recombinant Proteins - immunology; Human; Immunoglobulins; Nervous system diseases; Retroviridae; Provirus; Virus; Antigen; Myelopathy; Immunological investigation; DNA; HTLV-I virus; Spinal cord disease; Comparative study
• DOI: 10.1016/0022-510X(92)90215-7
• ISSN: 0022-510X

We studied the relationship between antibody titers to recombinant HTLV-I p40tax protein and gag-env hybrid protein in serum (by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and HTLV-I proviral DNA load in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (by a quantitative polymerase chain reaction method) in 18 patients with HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (HAM)/tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP), 17 HTLV-I carriers without HAM/TSP and 16 HTLV-I uninfected controls. The IgG and IgA antibody titers to either of the proteins correlated significantly with the HTLV-I pX (coding p40tax protein) and pol DNA amounts in HTLV-I infected subjects. HAM/TSP patients had significantly higher titers of IgG and IgA antibodies to the HTLV-I proteins than did the HTLV-I carriers without HAM/TSP. While the IgM antibodies to the HTLV-I proteins were found in only 6% of HTLV-I carriers without HAM/TSP, they were found in 40% of HAM/TSP patients, especially those having both a high HTLV-I proviral DNA load and high titers of the IgG and IgA antibodies. HAM/TSP patients with the IgM antibodies had a tendency to deteriorate more frequently on the Kurtzke's disability status scale and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain (leukoencephalopathy) than did those without in the two-year follow-up. Thus, the presence of IgM antibody and high titers of IgG and IgA antibodies to the HTLV-I proteins, together with the increased HTLV-I proviral DNA load, appears to distinguish HAM/TSP patients from HTLV-I carriers without HAM/TSP.