HTLV-III neutralizing antibody development in transfusion-dependent seropositive patients with beta-thalassemia.

摘要: Sera collected in New York 1984 from 77 patients with homozygous beta-thalassemia were assayed for antibodies to HTLV-III by ELISA and Western blot techniques. Eight (12%) of the 66 hypertransfused thalassemics seropositive. Retrospective sera these eight individuals examined radioimmune precipitation (RIP), assays neutralization virus infectivity performed. With seroconversion, viral envelope proteins appeared first correlated development neutralizing antibody. Affinity purified gp120, major glycoprotein HTLV-III, blocked absorbed antibody activity a positive serum. Neutralizing titers mirrored gp120 RIP. Antibody sometimes occurred absence antibody, although reverse was not true. One thalassemia patient who exhibited 3 yr post-seroconversion failed develop acquired immunodeficiency syndrome central nervous system involvement lymphoma, subsequently died. In contrast, all other seropositive possessed antibodies, asymptomatic or only lymphadenopathy. These results indicate that elicits course natural infection HTLV-III. The relationship seen here between better clinical outcome needs be verified additional studies.