Spastic paraparesis associated with human T-lymphotropic virus type I: a clinical, serological, and genomic study in Iranian-born Mashhadi Jews.

Abstract

The Mashhadi-Jewish community originating in Iran is a closed and ethnically segregated population with a unique history and a high rate of intrafamilial marriage among its members. A high risk of infection by human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) and of adult T-cell leukemia associated with such infection was found in this population. HTLV-I is also associated with a syndrome of progressive spastic paraparesis. We therefore evaluated the occurrence of HTLV-I infection and spastic paraparesis in Mashhadi-born Iranian Jews who immigrated to Israel. We examined 83 Mashhadi-born subjects (52 women, 31 men; mean age, 61 +/- 15.5 years) and 73 age-matched non-Mashhadi Iranian-born Jews. Blood samples were tested for HTLV-I antibodies by particle agglutination test. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect HTLV-I proviral DNA sequences from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Fifteen Mashhadi-born Jews (18%) were both seropositive and PCR-positive for HTLV-I. Four HTLV-I-seronegative subjects were found to be positive for HTLV-I proviral DNA by PCR. Of the 19 HTLV-I-infected subjects (11 women, 8 men; mean age, 59 +/- 16 years), 13 (68%) had spastic paraparesis of varying severity. There were no signs of myelopathy in the Mashhadi-born subjects who were negative for HTLV-I proviral DNA by PCR. None of the non-Mashhadi Iranian Jews was seropositive or PCR-positive for HTLV-I proviral DNA, or had clinical signs of spastic paraparesis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

• Authors: A Achiron, O Pinhas-Hamiel, L Doll, R Djaldetti, A Chen, I Ziv, A Avni, G Frankel, E Melamed, B Shohat
• Journal: Annals of neurology (Ann Neurol) Vol. 34 Issue 5 Pg. 670-5 (Nov 1993) ISSN: 0364-5134 [Print] United States
• PMID: 8239561 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• DNA, Viral
• HTLV-I Antibodies

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Base Sequence
• DNA, Viral (analysis)
• Disease Outbreaks
• Female
• HTLV-I Antibodies (analysis)
• Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 (genetics)
• Humans
• Incidence
• Iran (ethnology)
• Israel
• Jews
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Molecular Sequence Data
• Neurologic Examination
• Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic (diagnosis, ethnology, transmission)
• Serologic Tests