Serum antibodies to HTLV-I in human demyelinating disease.

Serum HTLV-I antibodies were measured in 17 MS patients and 2 closely matched control groups by 2 different independent assays. A highly sensitive particle agglutination test was used to detect HTLV-I core protein antigens and an immunoblot assay with E. coli-expressed P21E transmembrane protein was employed to detect antibodies to HTLV-I evelope antigens. No serologic evidence of prior HTLV-I infection in our population of multiple sclerosis (MS) or Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) patients was found.