Abstract
Human T lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection displays variable clinical manifestations. These include inflammatory diseases such as HTLV-1 associated myelopathy (HAM) or immunosuppressive conditions such as Strongyloides stercoralis hyperinfection. The viral protein, Tax causes activation and proliferation of T cells. We hypothesize that the expression of Tax in T cell subsets characterizes the clinical manifestations of HTLV-1. To test this hypothesis, we measured T helper 1 effector cells and regulatory T cells (Tregs) among Tax expressing lymphocytes from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 32 HTLV-1 infected patients with HAM, with S. stercoralis co-infection or with asymptomatic infection. We observed increased ratios of Th1/Treg among Tax expressing lymphocytes in HAM patients. These data suggest that the expression of Tax among the different target cells may explain the variable presentation of HTLV-1.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 202-206 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Pathogens and Global Health |
Volume | 107 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 2013 |
Keywords
- Foxp3
- HTLV-1
- Immunology
- Regulatory T cells
- Tax
- Th1
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Parasitology
- Microbiology
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Infectious Diseases