[Adult T-cell leukemia associated with HTLV1 and positive HIV2 serology in an African woman].

We report a case of acute adult T-cell leukemia associated with HTLV1 infection in a young African woman. The leukemic proliferation consisted of CD4-, CD25-positive lymphoid cells with typically convoluted nuclei and monoclonal integration of the HTLV1-proviral DNA. The clinical course was characterized by a rapid progression of the leukemia with development of hypercalcemia, resistance to chemotherapy, and the presence of multiple opportunistic infections. The additional finding of a seropositivity for HIV2 raises the problem of the respective contribution of the two retroviruses in this patient's disease.