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The Role of HTLV in HIV-1 Neurologic Disease Neurol 41:197-202, Berger,J.R.,et al, 1991 See this aricle in Pubmed Article Abstract We performed a serologic survey for antibodies to HTLV-I/II in the course of a longitudinal study of the neurologic complications of HIV-1 infection.Nine(3.7%)of 242 HIV-1 seropositive subjects and none of 60 HIV- 1 seronegative control subjects had antibodies to HTLV-I/II by ELISA. Western blot and polymerase chain reaction confirmed the presence of HTLV- I in 2 subjects and HTLV-II infection in 2 others.Both HIV-1/HTLV-I coinfected subjects and 1 HIV-1/HTLV-II coinfected subject had a slowly progressive myelopathy clinically identical to tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-I-associated myelopathy(TSP/HAM).The presence of a myelopathy resembling TSP/HAM in the coinfected subjects suggests that HIV-1 may enhance the expression of neurologic disease caused by HTLV. Patients with a progressive myelopathy occurring in association with HIV-1 infection should be serologically tested for the presence of HTLV. Establishing dual infection has therapeutic and prognostic import as 1 of the HIV-1/HTLV-I subjects substantially improved with corticosteroids and the HIV-1/HTLV-II subject with myelopathy had a marked improvement in the absence of therapeutic intervention.

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(click to filter results - removes previous filter) human immunodeficiency virus type 1 human T-lymphotropic virus type I(HTLV-I) human T-lymphotropic virus type II(HTLV-II) myelopathy myelopathy,chronic progressive neurologic disease

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