       Document 0618
 DOCN  M9610618
 TI    Relation between human T-lymphotropic virus type I and neurologic
       diseases in Panama: 1985-1990.
 DT    9601
 AU    Gracia F; Castillo LC; Larreategui M; Roberts B; Cedeno V; Heneine W;
       Blattner W; Kaplan JE; Levine PH; Laboratorio Conmemorativo Gorgas,
       Panama City, Panama.
 SO    J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr Hum Retrovirol. 1995 Oct 1;10(2):192-7.
       Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/96007283
 AB    Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) is endemic in the
       Caribbean basin and in Japan. HTLV-II, a closely related virus, is
       endemic in several groups of native Americans, including Panamanian
       Guaymi. In Panama, a nationwide HTLV-I/II seroprevalence of 1-2% has
       been reported. We evaluated the frequency of HTLV-I/II infection in
       patients with neurologic diseases admitted to state tertiary hospitals
       in Panama City between 1985 and 1990. Nineteen of 322 patients with
       eligible diagnoses had antibodies to HTLV-I/II, 17 with HTLV-I and 2
       with HTLV-II. HTLV-I was associated with spastic paraparesis (13 of 23,
       56.5% versus 4 of 299, 1.3%, p < 0.001) and with cerebellar syndrome (2
       of 13, 15.4%) and multiple sclerosis (2 of 54, 3.7%) (p < 0.05 for both
       diseases compared with subject with none of these diagnoses). The two
       HTLV-I infected patients with cerebellar syndrome later developed
       spastic paraparesis. HTLV-II infection was noted in one patient with
       cerebellar syndrome and one with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. All
       patients with other diagnoses were seronegative. Among patients with
       spastic paraparesis, HTLV-I-infected patients were clinically
       indistinguishable from seronegative subjects. There is apparently an
       overlapping clinical spectrum of neurologic diseases associated with
       HTLV-I and HTLV-II infection.
 DE    Adolescence  Adult  Aged  Cerebellar Diseases/COMPLICATIONS/EPIDEMIOLOGY
       DNA, Viral/ANALYSIS  Female  Human  HTLV-I/GENETICS  HTLV-I
       Antibodies/ANALYSIS  HTLV-I Infections/COMPLICATIONS/*EPIDEMIOLOGY
       HTLV-II/GENETICS  HTLV-II Antibodies/ANALYSIS  HTLV-II
       Infections/COMPLICATIONS/*EPIDEMIOLOGY  Immunoenzyme Techniques  Male
       Middle Age  Multiple Sclerosis/COMPLICATIONS/EPIDEMIOLOGY  Nervous
       System Diseases/COMPLICATIONS/*EPIDEMIOLOGY  Panama/EPIDEMIOLOGY
       Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic/COMPLICATIONS/EPIDEMIOLOGY  Polymerase
       Chain Reaction  Prevalence  Syndrome  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).

