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. 1992 Jul 1;176(1):293–296. doi: 10.1084/jem.176.1.293

In vivo cellular tropism of human T cell leukemia virus type II (HTLV- II)

PMCID: PMC2119301  PMID: 1351922

Abstract

To investigate the in vivo cellular tropism of human T cell leukemia virus type II (HTLV-II), subpopulations of fresh peripheral blood mononuclear cells from infected individuals were isolated and analyzed by polymerase chain reaction for the presence of provirus. In eight of nine patients, HTLV-II was detected exclusively in the CD8+ T lymphocyte population. In the remaining patient, provirus was also detected in CD4+ T lymphocytes. Provirus was not detected in B lymphocytes or monocytes of any patient. These results suggest that in vivo HTLV-II has a preferential, and perhaps in some cases, an exclusive tropism for CD8+ T lymphocytes. The findings contrast sharply with those on HTLV-I where there is a preferential tropism for CD4+ T lymphocytes. Although HTLV-II infection has not been consistently associated with any lymphoproliferative disorders, the results suggest that if these occur, they may be different from those known to be associated with HTLV-I.

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Selected References

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