ANTINUCLEAR AUTOANTIBODIES IN HUMAN T-CELL LEUKEMIA LYMPHOMA VIRUS TYPE-I CARRIERS IN FRENCH-GUIANA/

To compare the rate of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) in HTLV-I carriers and negative individuals in French Guiana, 350 sera (175 HTLV-I carri ers, either symptomatic or not, and 175 controls) were screened for AN A, using an immunofluorescence assay. All positive sera were tested fo r autoantibodies against extractable nuclear antigens, histones and do uble stranded DNA. ANA were detected in 9.71% of the HTLV-I carriers a nd 3.43% of the control group (p<0.05). There was no difference in ANA distribution by age, sex, or ethnic group. Neither was there any diff erence between asymptomatic and symptomatic HTLV-I individuals. Howeve r, ANA of medical interest were significantly higher (p < 0.04) in HTL V-I seropositive Creoles than in seropositive Noir-Marrons.