MYCOSIS-FUNGOIDES AND SEZARY-SYNDROME ARE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH HTLV-I INFECTION - AN INTERNATIONAL STUDY

Association between mycosis fungoides (MF), its leukaemic valiant Seza ry syndrome ISS) and the human T-cell lymphotropic virus type-I (HTLV- I) has been controversial, with the reported incidence of infection va rying between 0% and nearly 100%. We studied 127 patients (85 MF, 28 S S, five Sezary cell leukaemia, four lymphomatoid papulosis, and five u nspecified cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL)) originating from Europe (France, Spain, U.K. ,I(,, Portugal) or from U.S.A. (California) for t he presence of HTLV-I infection markers, HTLV-I and -II serology were performed on 78 patients using standard immunological methods. Reverse transcriptase (RT) assay Mras also performed in 26 cases using an RT- PCR-based method of high sensitivity Molecular analyses were performed on 215 DNA samples (121 from fresh PBMCs, 26 from PBMCs after short-t erm culture and GS from skin lesions) by PCR amplification using HTLV- I and -II gag, pol, env, pX and LTR specific primers, Immunological te sts were negative except for two sera which were indeterminate. FCR wi th all HTLV-I and -II primer pairs showed negative results in all 215 samples investigated. No RT activity was detected in short-term PBMC c ultures of any of the 26 cases studied. The results of this large stud y from five different countries clearly indicate that MF and SS are no t associated with HTLV-I infection.