HTLV-1 Associated Myelopathy in Canada
Power C., Weinshenker BG., Dekaban GA., Ebers GC., Francis GS., Rice GPA.
<jats:title>ABSTRACT:</jats:title><jats:p>We report the clinical and laboratory findings of six Canadian patients with progressive myelopathy associated with HTLV-1 infection. The diagnosis was suspected on clinical grounds and supported by serological studies and positive gene amplification. Only five had emigrated from an area endemic for HTLV-1 infection. Tropical spastic paraparesis should be considered in all patients with myelopathy, even those without standard serological markers of HTLV-1 infection. The pathogenesis of this condition and the serological and molecular biological means by which this diagnosis can be made are reviewed.</jats:p>