Absence of HTLV-II co-infection in HTLV-I-associated myelopathy patients.

Syncytium inhibition assay to distinguish between HTLV-I and HTLV-II infection was performed with sera and cerebrospinal fluid of 15 HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (HAM) patients. Also, genome analysis of HTLV-II proviral DNA was performed in some HAM patients by use of the polymerase chain reaction method. All of the HAM patients were negative for co-infection with HTLV-II.