Isolation of HTLV-1 from an aggressive form of ATL in a Romanian patient not at risk of infection and with seronegative family members.

We present the clinical, virological and haematochemical data of a 22 year old patient from Romania with Adult T Cell Leukaemia (ATL). Viral isolation in peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PMBC), detection of DNA sequences of HTLV-1 by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and of antibodies by Elisa and Western blot were performed. The patient does not belong to any risk group and additionally all members of her family are seronegative for HTLV-1, the aetiological agent of ATL. The role of viral infection remains open.