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Laboratory study of HIV‐1 and HTLV‐I/II coinfection
Author(s) -
Beilke Mark A.,
Greenspan Debra L.,
Impey Ann,
Thompson Jane,
Didier Peter J.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/jmv.1890440205
Subject(s) - coinfection , virology , tropical spastic paraparesis , virus , polymyositis , retrovirus , medicine , viral disease , immunology , biology , myelopathy , psychiatry , spinal cord
A Retroviral Coinfection Clinic was established in 1991 at Charity Hospital Medical Center of Louisiana to study patients dually infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and human T lymphotropic virus (HTLV‐I, HTLV‐II). Eight patients were evaluated clinically, and by immunological and virological studies. Multiple neuromuscular diseases were observed, including tropical spastic paraparesis, polymyositis, and polyneuropathies. Only one patient developed AIDS. HIV‐1 infected patients with HTLV‐I, but not HTLV‐II, coinfection have maintained stable CD4 counts, despite the fact that quantitative HIV DNA PCR suggests a relatively high copy number. HTLV‐I/II antigens were detected in lymphocyte cultures from four patients, and lymphoblastoid cell lines have been established from two. These results support the contention that upregulated HTLV‐I/II virus expression and disease manifestations occur during coinfection with HIV, sometimes in association with normal CD4 counts. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.