Antibody to human T-lymphotropic virus in a patient with Guillain-Barré syndrome (case report)

Abstract

Serum sample obtained from a male, 12 year old patient suffering from Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) was positive for human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV-I) antibody by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the Western Blot analysis (WB). Attempts to isolate enteroviruses (including poliovirus) from faecal material in both tissue culture and suckling mice were unsuccessful; in addition, acute and convalescent paired serum samples did not show any evidence of recent poliovirus infection when tested against the three serotypes. Specific tests for detection of Epstein-Barr virus infection were not performed; however, the Paul-Bunnel test yielded negative results. ELISA for detection of anti-cytomegalovirus IgM was also negative. The concomitant occurrence of either adult T cell leukemia (ATL) or lymphoma was not recorded in this case.

Amostra de soro obtida de paciente com a síndrome de Guillain-Barré revelou-se positiva quanto à presença de anticorpos para o vírus linfotrópico humano T (HTLV-I) pelo método imuno-enzimático (ELISA) e a análise por "Western-Blot". Resultaram negativos os testes visando à detecção de enterovírus (incluindo poliovírus) a partir de material fecal, tanto em cultura de tecidos como em camundongos recém-nascidos; exames com amostras de soro aguda e convalescente não exibiram qualquer evidência de infecção recente pelos três tipos de poliovírus. O teste de Paul-Bunnel, assim como o "ELISA" para a detecção de IgM anti-citomegalovírus resultaram negativos. Não foi registrada, no presente caso, quer a leucemia adulta de células T, quer linfomas.