CONJUGAL MYCOSIS-FUNGOIDES

Introduction. The pathophysiology of mycosis fungoides remains uncerta in but HTLV I or a similar virus could be involved. We observed a coup le who developed mycosis fungoides suggesting the infectious hypothesi s might indeed be valid.Case report. A 70-year-old man who had often t ravelled in foreign countries developed parapsoriasis en plaques, lymp homatoid papulosis and mycosis fungoides successively over a thirty ye ar period. Several years after the first manifestation of mycosis fung oides, his wife also developed a single plaque of mycosis fungoides. T he diagnosis was confirmed on pathology slides and immunohistochemistr y tests as well as on the basis of T-receptor gene rearrangement in bo th patients. Search for HTLV I was negative using serology tests and P CR on circulating lymphocytes. Comments. The epidemiological situation in our observation (several trips in foreign countries and the delaye d development of mycosis fungoides in the wife) favours the hypothesis of an infectious mechanism. Search for HTLV I was unsuccessful with c lassical virology methods. Certain recent work suggests a virus simila r but different from the HTLV I virus could be involved in the pathoge nesis of mycosis fungoides.