[Measurement of antibodies to human T-lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1) in cerebro-spinal fluid in patients infected HTLV-1 by blood transfusion].

Although determination of the presence of antibodies to HTLV-1 in cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF) is very important for the diagnosis of HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (HAM), these antibodies in CSF have not yet been completely investigated so far in patients without overt HAM. We examined antibodies to HTLV-1 in CSF of leukemia patients who were infected with this virus via blood transfusion. All of 5 patients showed positive antibody titer, one of 5 patients was a patient with overt HAM. According to Western-blotting analysis in CSF, IgG p-19, 24 and 28 antibodies were positive in 4 patients without overt HAM, but IgM antibody was negative. In contrast, IgG antibodies as well as IgM p-24 antibody were positive in patients with overt HAM. These results suggest that further studies on antibodies to HTLV-1, especially on IgM antibody, in CSF of HTLV-1 infected patients with or without overt HAM may be helpful to better understanding of the mechanism on onset of HAM following blood transfusion.