Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) confirmed by PCR-Southern blot and sequencing analysis in a woman with tropical spastic paraparesis

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) is a human retrovirus and the aetiological agent of a progressive neurological disease called tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM), as confirmed by evidence accumulated in HTLV-I seroprevalence studies. TSP/HAM is rarely diagnosed in Italy, given the low prevalence of HTLV-I in the population. TSP/HAM begins insidiously in the fourth decade, mainly with spastic paraparesis of the lower extremities and positive Babinski reflex, as well as interfering with bowel and bladder functions. In this study we report the clinical, virological and haemato chemical data of a 54-year-old woman, born in the Ivory Cost, with symptoms suggestive of TSP. The presence of HTLV-I infection was demonstrated by the detection of antibodies in serum and in cerebrospinal fluid by immunoenzymatic assay and Western blot analysis. In addition, viral isolation was carried out in peripheral blood cells, and the presence of HTLV-I proviral DNA was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction/Southern blot and sequencing analysis. According to our results, HTLV-I testing might be useful when TSP/HAM is suspected.