HTLV antibodies in Italian patients with multiple sclerosis.

Several observations indicate that a retrovirus might be involved in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). We report that the sera from 40 Italian MS patients did not contain antibodies to the human T-lymphotropic type I (HTLV-I) and type III viruses (HTLV-III) at levels detectable by commercial ELISA kits. Nevertheless, it cannot be ruled out that a distinct retrovirus is the etiologic factor of MS.