Clinical and epidemiological aspects of HTLV-II infection in São Paulo, Brazil: presence of Tropical Spastic Paraparesis/HTLV-Associated Myelopathy (TSP/HAM) simile diagnosis in HIV-1-co-infected subjects Aspectos clínicos e epidemiológicos da infecção pelo vírus linfotrópico de células T humanas do tipo 2 (HTLV-II) em São Paulo, Brasil: presença de paraparesia espástica tropical/mielopatia associada ao HTLV em pacientes co-infectados pelo HIV-1

• Published in: Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo
• Main Authors: Maria Paulina Posada-Vergara, Patrícia Montanheiro, Ligia M.I. Fukumori, Francisco Bonasser, Alberto José da Silva Duarte, Augusto Cesar Penalva de Oliveira, Jorge Casseb
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade de São Paulo (USP) 2006
• Subjects: HTLV-II; Co-infection; Neurological manifestation; TSP/HAM simile; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0036-46652006000400006; https://doaj.org/article/1a2d75ae2a884ca1b9d122fbf60a2691

In this study, the epidemiological and clinical features observed in solely HTLV-II-infected individuals were compared to those in patients co-infected with HIV-1. A total of 380 subjects attended at the HTLV Out-Patient Clinic in the Institute of Infectious Diseases "Emilio Ribas" (IIER), São Paulo, Brazil, were evaluated every 3-6 months for the last seven years by infectious disease specialists and neurologists. Using a testing algorithm that employs the enzyme immuno assay, Western Blot and polymerase chain reaction, it was found that 201 (53%) were HTLV-I positive and 50 (13%) were infected with HTLV-II. Thirty-seven (74%) of the HTLV-II reactors were co-infected with HIV-1. Of the 13 (26%) solely HTLV-II-infected subjects, urinary tract infection was diagnosed in three (23%), one case of skin vasculitis (8%) and two cases of lumbar pain and erectile dysfunction (15%), but none myelopathy case was observed. Among 37 co-infected with HIV-1, four cases (10%) presented with tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM) simile. Two patients showed paraparesis as the initial symptom, two cases first presented with vesical and erectile disturbances, peripheral neuropathies were observed in other five patients (13%), and seven (19%) patients showed some neurological signal or symptoms, most of them with lumbar pain (five cases). The results obtained suggest that neurological manifestations may be more frequent in HTLV-II/HIV-1-infected subjects than those infected with HTLV-II only. Neste estudo, as características epidemiológicas e clínicas observadas nos indivíduos infectados pelo HTLV-II foram comparadas com os pacientes co-infectados com HIV-1. Um total de 380 indivíduos atendidos na clínica do Ambulatório HTLV do Instituto de Infectologia "Emilio Ribas" (IIER), São Paulo, Brasil, foram avaliados a cada 3-6 meses nos últimos sete anos por especialistas em doenças infecciosas e neurologistas. Usando um algoritmo que emprega ensaio imunoenzimático, Western Blot e reação em cadeia de ...