Reports of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

en HTLV-1 Proviral Load Absolute RT-qPCR Development for Assessing on Clinical Outcomes in HAM/TSP Patients ایمنی شناسی Immunology مقالات اصلی Original Article <div style="text-align: justify;">Background: The significance of HTLV-1 proviral load as a prognostic biomarker in HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) has been a subject of controversy. This study aims to assess the impact of HTLV-1 proviral load (PVL) on the clinical outcome in patients with HAM/TSP. Methods: An absolute quantitative HTLV-1 PVL RT-qPCR, TaqMan method was developed with 100% sensitivity and specificity. Then, from 2005-2018, the HTLV-1 PVL of 90 eligible newly diagnosed HAM/TSP patients were assessed for demographic, clinical symptoms and their associations with HTLV-1-PVL. Results: The quality control of the designed RT-qPCR showed a sensitivity and specificity of 100%. Spasticity in lower limbs in 58.9% and urinary symptoms in 17.8% of HAM/TSPs were observed. Using this designed RT-qPCR, the HTLV-1-PVL strongly affected spasticity and sphincter disturbance (p=0.05). The multivariate logistic test showed that only the beginning of lower limb weakness along with tremor was associated with PVL (OR: 2.78. 95% CI (0.99-1.02) and p=0.05). Urinary incontinence was prevalent among these patients; however, no association was identified with the HTLV-1 proviral load (PVL). Conclusion: The absolute RT-qPCR developed for measuring HTLV-1 proviral load (PVL) demonstrated reliable results. Despite a high prevalence of urinary incontinence in these patients, no association was observed with the PVL. Consequently, it appears that HTLV-1 proviral load is specifically associated with developing spasticity in HAM/TSP.</div> Clinical manifestations, HTLV, Neuroinflammatory disease, Proviral load, TaqMan. 393 402 http://rbmb.net/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1345-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Nazila Ariaee 100319475328460018569 100319475328460018569 No Immunology Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Shadi Abbasnia 100319475328460018570 100319475328460018570 No Immunology Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Faezeh Sabet 100319475328460018571 100319475328460018571 No Department of Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Ali Mirhossein 100319475328460018572 100319475328460018572 No Immunology Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Sanaz Ahmadi Ghezeldasht 100319475328460018573 100319475328460018573 No Blood Born Infections Research Center, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, Razavi Khorasan, Mashhad, Iran. Mehdi Moshfegh 100319475328460018574 100319475328460018574 No Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Reza Boostani 100319475328460018575 100319475328460018575 No Blood Born Infections Research Center, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, Razavi Khorasan, Mashhad, Iran. Seyed Abdolrahim Rezaee rezaeer@mums.ac.ir 100319475328460018576 100319475328460018576 Yes Immunology Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.