601. Lack of detectable human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I sequences in samples from multiple sclerosis patients.
- Author
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Menzo S, Manzin A, Bagnarelli P, Varaldo PE, Grandi G, Giuliani G, Cazzato G, Giacca M, and Clementi M
- Subjects
- Base Sequence, Brain microbiology, Cell Line, DNA, Viral blood, DNA, Viral cerebrospinal fluid, DNA, Viral isolation & purification, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Molecular Sequence Data, Nucleic Acid Hybridization, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 isolation & purification, Multiple Sclerosis microbiology
- Abstract
Recently, inconclusive results have followed the early data on the possible association between multiple sclerosis (MS) and human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) infection. For this reason, we examined this hypothesis using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to study samples of differing origin from Italian MS patients. In particular, we developed a systematic analysis of paraffin-embedded brain white matter from histologically defined lesions of 14 MS patients using PCR and primer sets specific for HTLV-I sequences; additionally, cerebrospinal fluids (CSFs) from 12 patients and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from subjects at the early and late phase of the disease were investigated for free HTLV-I virions and specific proviral sequences, respectively. In agreement with some groups who reported lack of HTLV-I sequences in PBMCs of MS patients but in clear contrast with others, we failed to detect specific viral sequences using this broad approach.
- Published
- 1992
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