Failure to detect HTLV‐I by in situ hybridization in the biopsied muscles of viral carriers with polymyositis

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Abstract
Direct infection of muscle fibers by human T‐lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV‐I) has recently been reported in a patient with polymyositis infected with both HTLV‐I and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Coinfections of these viruses are frequently found in the United States. In Kagoshima, Japan, patients with polymyositis have a significantly increased incidence of seropositivity to HTLV‐I alone, when compared with the general population of Kagoshima. In this study, we examined muscle tissue from 6 HTLV‐I‐positive patients with polymyositis from Kagoshima. To detect HTLV‐I products, sensitive immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization analysis were performed. These were compared with muscle fibers from a well‐characterized transgenic mouse model which expressed HTLV‐I tax. 10 No specific signals were detected in the biopsied muscles of patients with polymyositis infected with HTLV‐I alone. HIV co‐infection may, therefore, augment HTLV‐I expression through either immunosuppression or direct viral interactions.

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