       Document 0020
 DOCN  M9620020
 TI    Study of HTLV-I antibodies in CSF and serum of neurolathyrism patients
       in Bangladesh.
 DT    9602
 AU    Haque A; Khan JK; Wouters G; Hossain M; Lambein F; Department of
       Neurology, Institute for Postgraduate Medicine and; Research, Dhaka,
       Bangladesh.
 SO    Ann Soc Belg Med Trop. 1995 Jun;75(2):131-4. Unique Identifier :
       AIDSLINE MED/96066538
 AB    Neurolathyrism is a form of human spastic paraparesis related to the
       overconsumption of the legume Lathyrus sativus or grass pea (Khesari in
       Bangladesh) containing the neurotoxin 3-N-oxalyl-2,3-diaminopropanoic
       acid (beta-ODAP). The clinical symptoms of neurolathyrism are similar to
       those of Tropical Spastic Paraparesis. In order to eliminate the
       proposed causative agent of TSP (HTLV-I) as a potential cause of the
       symptoms ascribed to neurolathyrism, a total of 444 diagnosed lathyrism
       patients were screened for HTLV-I antibodies. 50 CSF and 394 serum
       samples were collected from male (415) and female (29) patients. Only 4
       serum samples were found sero-positive for HTLV-I. This agrees with the
       assumption that overconsumption of beta-ODAP containing Lathyrus seeds,
       and not HTLV infection, is the causative agent for neurolathyrism.
 DE    Adult  Bangladesh/EPIDEMIOLOGY  Female  Human  HTLV-I
       Antibodies/*ANALYSIS/CEREBROSPINAL FLUID  Lathyrism/CEREBROSPINAL
       FLUID/EPIDEMIOLOGY/*IMMUNOLOGY  Male  Paraparesis, Tropical
       Spastic/IMMUNOLOGY  Sampling Studies  Support, Non-U.S. Gov't  JOURNAL
       ARTICLE

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

