Abstract:
Human T-cell lymphotropic viruses (HTLV) are reviewed under the following headings: isolation of virus; epidemiology; biological properties of HTLV; antigenic properties of HTLV-I, -II, -III; and molecular biology. The HTLV group consists of three subgroups of retroviruses that infect human T cells, particularly those with the T4 phenotype. HTLV-I has been isolated from patients (pts) with adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma (ATL), HTLV-II from a pt with a T-cell variant of hairy cell leukemia, and HTLV-III from pts with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related complexes. HTLV-I serology is positive in pts with ATL, in healthy relatives and in healthy unrelated persons in endemic areas of Japan, the Caribbean and Africa. HTLV-III serology is positive in AIDS pts and in members of groups at risk for AIDS. Infection may impair immune function via interference with lymphokines. HTLV-I from various sources can transform human T lymphocytes by cocultivation with lethally irradiated HTLV-positive leukemic cells. In vitro infection of helper and cytotoxic T cells by HTLV-I and II results in the loss of immune regulatory functions. In contrast to cocultivation procedures needed for HTLV-I, infection of fresh human lymphocytes by HTLV-III is most effective with cell-free virus preparations. Antigenic analysis by gel electrophoresis shows that HTLV-I and HTLV-II are more closely related to each other than to HTLV-III. The complete nucleotide sequences of HTLV-I and HTLV-II have been determined; their genomic organizations are similar, but differ markedly in composition. The HTLV-III genome appears to have multiple variants, which could affect methods of control of virus replication and transmission. (71 Refs)
Keywords: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/MICROBIOLOGY Antibodies, Viral/ANALYSIS Antigens, Viral/IMMUNOLOGY Cell Transformation, Viral DNA, Viral/ANALYSIS Genes, Viral Human *HTLV-BLV Viruses/CLASSIFICATION/GENETICS/IMMUNOLOGY/ISOLATION & PURIF Leukemia/*MICROBIOLOGY Retroviridae Infections/EPIDEMIOLOGY/*MICROBIOLOGY T-Lymphocytes/MICROBIOLOGY MEETING PAPER REVIEW
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