Sporadic ALS/MND: a global neurodegeneration with retroviral involvement?

Sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis may be an aetiologically heterogenous disease. We confirmed elevated circulating IgG immune complexes, and altered IgG seroreactivities against human retroviral antigens (HIV-2 and HTLV immunoblots) in overlapping subgroups of patients. Together with preliminar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the neurological sciences 1995-05, Vol.129 (MAI), p.145-147
Main Authors: Westarp, Martin Egon, Ferrante, Pasquale, Perron, Hervé, Bartmann, Peter, Kornhuber, Hans Helmut
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
AIDS/HIV
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - pathology
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - virology
Antigens, Viral - analysis
Autosomal gene transfer
Biological and medical sciences
Circulating IgG-immunocomplexes
Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases
HIV-1
HIV-1 - immunology
HIV-2
HIV-2 - immunology
Human T lymphotropic virus (HTLV)
Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 - immunology
Humans
Immunoblotting
Immunoglobulin G - analysis
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Motor Neuron Disease - pathology
Motor Neuron Disease - virology
Nerve Degeneration - physiology
Neurology
Neurotoxicity
Parkinson's disease
Retroviral antibodies
Retroviridae Infections - pathology
Retroviridae Infections - virology
Slow Virus Diseases - pathology
Slow Virus Diseases - virology
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Summary:Sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis may be an aetiologically heterogenous disease. We confirmed elevated circulating IgG immune complexes, and altered IgG seroreactivities against human retroviral antigens (HIV-2 and HTLV immunoblots) in overlapping subgroups of patients. Together with preliminary findings of a positive polymerase chain reactivity for human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV.tax/rex) in blood leukocytes of 5 out of 14 sALS patients, we interpret this as evidence for a retroviral involvement in this relentlessly progressive, often asymmetrically spreading neurodegeneration. The possibility of a secondary phenomenon seems unlikely, yet cannot be completely ruled out.
ISSN:0022-510X
1878-5883
DOI:10.1016/0022-510X(95)00087-I