TYPE-SPECIFIC ANTIGENS FOR SEROLOGICAL DISCRIMINATION OF HTLV-I AND HTLV-II INFECTION

55 HTLV-I (human T-cell lymphotropic virus) and 45 HTLV-II carriers, confirmed by HTLV-type specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR), were distinguished by western blot assays with recombinant HTLV I or II envelope glycoproteins. Recombinant protein (RP) B1 contains aminoacids 166-201 from HTLV-I exterior glycoprotein gp46 and was reactive with HTLV-I samples only. RP-IIB, which contains aminoacids 96-235 from HTLV-II exterior glycoprotein gp52, was reactive with all HTLV-II samples. 39 patients (86·6%) had high reactivity by densitometry. Of 55 HTLV-I samples, 35 (65·5%) had antibody reactivity to RP-IIB, but only 1 (1·8%) had high reactivity by densitometry. RP B1 and IIB western blot assays may replace the PCR test in diagnosis of HTLV infection. © 1990.