PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

V Zaninovic

Publications and source records attributed to V Zaninovic.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Geographic independence of HTLV-I and HTLV-II foci in the Andes highland, the Atlantic coast, and the Orinoco of Colombia.

To clarify the ethnic specificity of human T cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) and type II (HTLV-II) carriers among Colombian native Indians, we investigated the geographic distribution of HTLV-I and HTLV-II seroprevalence among the isolated ethnic groups of Mongoloid origin in the Andes highlands and the Atlantic coast of Colombia. HTLV-I carriers were found in 1.6% (1/62 samples) of Inga, 8.5% (5/59) of Kamsa, and 0% (0/55) of Cumbal Indians who live in the Andes highlands at 3000 m above sea level. On the other hand, HTLV-II carriers were found in 4.1% (5/123) of Wayuu Indians, who live in the Guajira region of the Atlantic coast of Colombia at a distance of 1000 km from the Andes highlands. This ethnic specificity of HTLV-II was similarly observed among Guahibo Indians in the Orinoco. The seroprevalence of HTLV-I and HTLV-II was mutually exclusive among Inga, Kamsa, and Wayuu Indians. These results suggest that HTLV-I and HTLV-II may have evolved among Mongoloid populations and been independently transmitted among two different lineages of Colombian native Indians, Andes highlanders and Atlantic coast lowlanders.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

[Tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) in different regions of the world. Subclinical and geographic differences in neurophysiologic studies].

Tropical spastic paraparesis is the same clinical entity all over the world. It has been suggested that some clinical presentation differences are due to not well defined environmental factors that act along with the virus, modifying the start and progression of the disease. We analyzed 25 publications on the disease coming from different parts of the world, aiming to unravel regional differences. In these reports, we found different degrees of subclinical abnormalities in visual and somatosensory evoked potentials, nerve conduction studies, superior and inferior limb F wave and electromyography. It is concluded that genetic, environmental and even cultural factors may influence the clinical presentation of tropical spastic paraparesis and explain the detected differences in the reports analyzed in this study.

Electromyography↗
PubMed1993

Southernmost carriers of HTLV-I/II in the world.

To clarify the real distribution of HTLV-I and -II carriers among indigenous people in central and South America, blood samples collected from indigenous people in isolated regions of Southern Chile were examined. Among 199 inhabitants from Chiloe Island and Pitrufquen town, three cases (1.5%) showed positive anti-HTLV-I antibodies. Two out of the three (82-year-old male and 58-year-old female) reacted to HTLV-II-specific Gag and/or Env proteins but not to HTLV-I-specific ones. The latter case was confirmed as an HTLV-II carrier by polymerase chain reaction test.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Identification of human T cell leukemia virus type IIb infection in the Wayu, an aboriginal population of Colombia.

Human T cell leukemia virus type II (HTLV-II) is endemic in a number of native American populations and high rates of infection have also been demonstrated in intravenous drug abusers (IVDAs). Studies of virus isolates in the latter population have shown the existence of two closely related subtypes of the virus, HTLV-IIa and HTLV-IIb. To characterize the viruses present in native Americans, we analyzed by nucleotide sequence analysis the proviruses from the Wayu, an aboriginal population residing in Colombia, South America. The results showed HTLV-IIb infection in this population, and also demonstrated remarkable conservation of sequence when compared to the proviruses in IVDAs.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Six Colombian patients with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma.

Six Colombian patients with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) are presented. The clinical and hematological features, the familial clusters of human T lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-I) carriers and the prognoses of the Colombian ATL patients were similar to those previously reported for Japanese ATL patients. The only difference was the mean age of onset, which was more than 20 years younger than in Japanese patients. Three patients with ATL were suffering from strongyloidiasis. In one patient it was suggested that ATL developed after horizontal transmission from his wife. In addition, there was a familial case of ATL and HAM/TSP. It seems that in some areas of Colombia, not only HTLV-I infection and HAM/TSP but also ATL are highly endemic.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

[Preliminary study of HTLV-I seroprevalence in Chilean Indian populations].

Aiming to seek the origin and define the prevalence of HTLV-1 infections, 464 blood samples from aboriginal populations proceeding from isolated regions of the north and south of Chile were studied. Antibodies against HTLV were measured with agglutination tests and confirmed with immuno-fluorescence and Western Blotting. Seven out of 107 (6.5%) blood samples from Atacama indians, 2 out of 202 (1%) from Mapuche indians and 3 out of 155 (1.9%) from Huilliche aborigines were positive. These results highlight an important presence of the virus in indigenous populations, specially in the extremes of the country. These findings could suggest an indigenous (mongoloid) origin of HTLV-1 in Chile, specially in Chiloe, where apparently there has been no contact with african or japanese populations, that could be the origin of the contamination.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

In situ hybridization detection of HTLV-I RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of TSP/HAM patients and their spouses.

This is the first report of the direct detection of HTLV-I RNA in uncultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC's) of patients with tropical spastic paraparesis and HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM) and their spouses, using the technique of in situ hybridization. Twenty-one Colombian patients were tested, all of whom had antibodies to HTLV-I; the presence of HTLV-I proviral DNA in their PBMNC's was confirmed by the polymerase chain reaction technique. Of the 21 patients 15 had a clinical diagnosis of tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP/HAM), 5 were asymptomatic relatives, and 1 patient had leukemia. In situ hybridization was positive in samples from 5 patients; 2 of these were TSP/HAM patients and the other 3 were healthy wives of TSP/HAM patients. This study demonstrates for the first time that viral RNA is expressed in uncultured PBMNC's of some patients with TSP/HAM in whom proviral DNA is also present; furthermore, the detection of HTLV-I RNA in the blood of female partners of TSP/HAM patients clearly illustrates the high likelihood of HTLV-I transmission through sexual contact.

Cell Line↗
PubMed1990

Antibody to HTLV-I in indigenous inhabitants of the Andes and Amazon regions in Colombia.

To explore the HTLV-I-carrying groups among the indigenous inhabitants in South America, a sero-epidemiological study on HTLV-I focusing on hinterland villages isolated from others in the Andes and Amazon regions was conducted. Five (2.9%) out of 171 subjects showed positive for HTLV-I antibody in the gelatin particle agglutination (PA) test. Two out of 5 positives with high antibody titer (greater than or equal to x 1024) in the PA test also showed a positive immunofluorescence (IF) test and anti-HTLV-I-specific protein products, p19, p24, p28, gp46, and p53 in sera by the Western blotting (WB) test. One of three negatives in the IF test showed positive antibodies to p19 and p24 by the WB test. Finally, two were confirmed as HTLV-I carriers and one was suspected of being a carrier. All three are Paez Indians from the central Andes; 53- and 34-year-old women and a 35-year-old man. The results show that HTLV-I carriers exist among isolated indigenous people in South America.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Isolation and characterization of HTLV-I from symptomatic family members with tropical spastic paraparesis (HTLV-I encephalomyeloneuropathy).

Human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) was isolated from peripheral blood- and cerebrospinal fluid-derived mononuclear cells of a 13-y-old boy and from the peripheral blood lymphocytes of both his parents. All three had IgG antibodies to HTLV-I and varying degrees of the clinical features of tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP). The son also had IgM antibodies specific for HTLV-I in his serum. Isolations were successfully made from peripheral blood lymphocytes and cerebrospinal fluid lymphocytes stimulated with interleukin-2 or cocultivated with umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells. Established cell lines contained HTLV-I antigen by immunfluorescence and cell-associated virus by electron microscopy; cells became transformed in vitro as determined by their continuous growth in the absence of exogenous interleukin-2. This boy is the youngest TSP patient known to be reported, and the isolation of HTLV-I from all three family members suggests the causative role of this virus in TSP.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Tropical spastic paraparesis in Colombia.

A high-incidence focus of tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP) occurs on the South Pacific coast of Colombia. Of 55 patients studied, 52 (94.5%) had IgG antibodies to the human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) in serum and/or cerebrospinal fluid. Control groups did not show similar high positivity. Our results suggest that HTLV-I or other antigenically related retroviruses may be the cause of TSP in Colombia. Similar clinical, laboratory, and epidemiological findings have been reported in widely remote geographical regions of the world, with very similar clinical pictures of TSP in all high-incidence regions. The demonstration of IgG antibodies in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with TSP in the Caribbean and Seychelles Islands, southern Japan, and the Ivory Coast indicate that the HTLV-I retrovirus could be the cause of this "tropical" myeloneuropathy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Epidemiology of tropical spastic paraparesis in Columbia and associated HTLV-I infection.

The clinical syndrome earlier designated as paraparesia espástica del Pacífico is an isolated form of tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP) that was reported in 1981 in the southern Pacific lowlands of Columbia in and near Tumaco. The clinical features are similar to those of TSP reported in Jamaica, Martinique, the Seychelles, and the Ivory Coast of Africa and resemble also those clinical features of the human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I)-associated myelopathy described in southern Japan. Since HTLV-I infection is closely associated with TSP, we conducted a case-control study to evaluate the role of HTLV-I-associated risk factors among patients from the endemic focus in Tumaco, Colombia, and the seroprevalence rates of this virus in other geographical areas of the Pacific Colombian lowlands with and without TSP. From our seroprevalence study of antibodies to HTLV-I among TSP index patients, matched controls, household contacts (first- and second-degree relatives), and healthy controls from these areas, we found a strong association between HTLV-I and TSP. Also, there is a high seroprevalence of HTLV-I among sexual partners of patients and to a lesser extent among their offspring and other relatives some of whom had an early mean acquisition of antibodies to HTLV-I. Heterosexual promiscuity and other close interpersonal contact may play an important role in the transmission of TSP in the Pacific lowlands of Colombia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Immunological findings in neurological diseases associated with antibodies to HTLV-I: activated lymphocytes in tropical spastic paraparesis.

A retrovirus involvement in the etiology of certain neurological diseases is currently an area of intense interest. Tropical spastic paraparesis and other chronic progressive myelopathies have been clearly associated with increased serum and cerebrospinal fluid antibody titers to human T-lymphotropic virus type I; however, little is known about the cellular immune response. In the present study, activated T-lymphocytes were found in the peripheral blood of patients with this disorder. There were increased numbers of large CD3-positive cells that also expressed histocompatibility leukocyte Class II (DR) and interleukin 2-receptor molecules. In addition, a significantly elevated spontaneous lymphoproliferative response was demonstrated in all patients. This is consistent with the known in vitro effects of human T-lymphotropic virus type I. In one patient, a defect in the generation of measles virus-specific cytotoxic T cells was identified. These observations indicate abnormalities of the cellular immune response in tropical spastic paraparesis.

Antibodies, Viral↗