TRANSFUSION TRANSMISSION OF HUMAN T-LYMPHOTROPIC VIRUS TYPE-I (HTLV-I) FROM AN ASYMPTOMATIC BLOOD-DONOR - CONSERVATION OF LTR U3, ENV, AND TAX NUCLEOTIDE-SEQUENCES IN A RECIPIENT WITH HTLV-I-ASSOCIATED MYELOPATHY
M. Gasmi et al., TRANSFUSION TRANSMISSION OF HUMAN T-LYMPHOTROPIC VIRUS TYPE-I (HTLV-I) FROM AN ASYMPTOMATIC BLOOD-DONOR - CONSERVATION OF LTR U3, ENV, AND TAX NUCLEOTIDE-SEQUENCES IN A RECIPIENT WITH HTLV-I-ASSOCIATED MYELOPATHY, Transfusion, 37(1), 1997, pp. 60-64
BACKGROUND: Transfusion of human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I)
contaminated blood is sometimes linked with the rapid onset of HTLV-I-
associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) in immuno
compromised recipients. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This study addressed
the question of whether HTLV-I variants could emerge in an immunocomp
romised patient who developed HAM/TSP after the transfusion or blood f
rom an asymptomatic HTLV-I carrier. Base pairs (n = 2327) of the HTLV-
I genome located in the LTR U3 region and parts of the env and tax gen
es were sequenced and compared to the isolates identified in the asymp
tomatic blood donor and to well-known ATK-1 and H5 strains. The same a
nalysis was performed on another set of samples from an asymptomatic H
TLV-I-positive blood donor and a similar blood recipient. RESULTS: No
critical changes in nucleotide sequences were identified in the immuno
suppressed HAM/TSP patient when compared with the nucleotide sequences
of the corresponding blood donor, the other asymptomatic blood donor
and recipient, or the ATK-1 and H5 strains. CONCLUSION: Immunosuppress
ion does not seem to favor the emergence of particular nucleotide sequ
ences in the genome located in the LTR U3 region or in parts of the en
v and tax genes in transfused patients who develop HAM/TSP.