There is increasing evidence for the link between members of the human T-lymphotropic virus family and clinically important disease. We used indirect membrane immunofluorescence (IMI) to screen patient and control sera for
antibodies to human
T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV) specific cell membrane
antigens (HTLV-MA) of HTLV-I and HTLV-III. Representative sera were screened for
antibodies to specific HTLV-encoded
proteins using radioimmunoprecipitation (RIP) with SDS-
polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Essentially all Japanese patients with
adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (
ATLL) from Miyazaki, Japan had detectable
antibodies to HTLV-I-MA, further supporting the evidence for the probable etiologic relationship of HTLV-I and
ATLL. While 16% of the healthy adults from this endemic region had
antibodies to HTLV-I-MA, such
antibodies were also found in 42% of the adults hospitalized in Miyazaki with severe
infections diseases. Other studies have demonstrated
HTLV-I antibodies in 12% of asymptomatic hemophiliacs examined from various U.S. cities. We have previously shown that HTLV-I status positive antibody in hemophiliacs is accompanied by a decrease in the number of T helper cells. Patients seropositive for
antibodies to HTLV-I-MA regularly demonstrated
antibodies to the env gene encoded gp61
proteins, while lower but significant proportions had
antibodies to the gag and lor gene
proteins. These and other observations suggest that
infection with at least some strains of HTLV-I may be associated with mild or transient immunosuppression, in the absence of
leukemia. Analysis by RIP indicated that gp61 and gp45, both encoded by the env gene of HTLV-I, are the most immunogenic
proteins of the virus. The gp61 HTLV-I is highly crossreactive with gp67, the major
env protein of HTLV-II. Patients with
acquired immune deficiency syndrome (
AIDS) were also examined for
antibodies to HTLV-I-MA and
antibodies to the gag, env, and lor gene
proteins by RIP.
Antibodies were detected in 38-75% of the patients, the higher percentage reflecting the presence of at least one positive sample in those individuals where more than three serial serum samples were tested. Numerous control groups were essentially seronegative for
antibodies to HTLV-I
proteins. When
AIDS patient sera were examined for
antibodies to HTLV-III, 95-100% were seropositive. Such
antibodies were also found in the majority of asymptomatic Boston-areas hemophiliacs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)