DIFFERENCES IN IMMUNE FUNCTIONS BETWEEN HUMAN T-LYMPHOTROPIC VIRUS TYPE-I CARRIERS AND PATIENTS WITH ADULT T-CELL LEUKEMIA LYMPHOMA/

A variety of immunologic tests were compared between human T-lymphotro pic virus type I (HTLV-I) carriers and patients with adult T-cell leuk emia/ lymphoma (ATL). The mitogenic responses of the lymphocytes to co ncanavalin A and phytohemagglutinin were depressed in the ATL patients but not in the carriers, while the response to pokeweed mitogen in th e carriers and ATL patients was depressed compared to the HTLV-I-seron egative controls. A positive tuberculin reaction in the carriers was a s frequent as in the controls, but less frequent in the ATL patients. A marked inhibition of the intracellular multiplication of Legionella pneumophila was observed within the monocytes isolated from the carrie rs, but not in the ATL patients or the normal controls. These results indicate that the ATL patients have severe immunodeficiency, while the HTLV-I carriers have some activation of anti-microbial activity in mo nocytes although they are somewhat immunosuppressed. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.