This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Bassani, S. Articles by Soriano, V. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Bassani, S. Articles by Soriano, V.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, January 2006, p. 160-161, Vol. 13, No. 1
1071-412X/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/CVI.13.1.160-161.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Can the Level of Immunosuppression in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Patients Affect the Reliability of Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus Type 2 Serological Diagnosis?

Service of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Carlos III, Madrid, Spain

Received 14 July 2005/ Returned for modification 20 September 2005/ Accepted 21 October 2005

A total of 175 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive intravenous drug users (IDU) with CD4 cell counts of <200 cells/µl were matched with 175 HIV-positive IDU with CD4 cell counts of >500 cells/µl. Enzyme immunoassay (EIA) reactivity and human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 2 (HTLV-2) Western blot (WB) positivity were more frequently observed in subjects with CD4 cell counts of >500 cells/µl. Most of the subjects with low CD4 cell counts and EIA reactivity carried HTLV-2 infection (WB positive and/or PCR positive). No subjects with low CD4 cell counts and a lack of reactive EIA were PCR positive for HTLV-2. Therefore, a negative EIA result can confidently discharge HTLV-2 infection in HIV-infected patients with severe immunosuppression, whereas PCR should be performed for subjects with a reactive HTLV EIA which is not further confirmed by WB.