HTLV-I associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP): a chronic progressive neurologic disease associated with immunologically mediated damage to the central nervous system.

This review examines information on clinical, pathological and immunological events in the slowly progressive neurologic disorder associated with the human T lymphotropic virus type-I (HTLV-I) termed HTLV-I associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). The role of cellular immune responses to HTLV-I in patients with HAM/TSP and how these responses may be associated with the pathogenesis of this disorder will be discussed. While a number of immunologic responses have been shown to be abnormal in HAM/TSP patients, studies on HTLV-I specific cytotoxic T cell responses (CTL) will be specifically examined. By defining such antigen specific functional cellular host responses to HTLV-I we hope to better understand the underlying mechanisms that may be involved in the neuropathology of HTLV-I associated neurologic disease. This has led to a number of HTLV-I associated immunopathogenic models that may be operative in HAM/TSP patients. Importantly, based on these models, potential immunotherapeutic strategies for disease intervention can be devised. Moreover, such an analysis may have significant implications for our understanding of other HTLV-I associated clinical disorders and other neurological diseases in which viral etiologies have been suggested.