A man living in southern Japan contracts HTLV-1 infection through sexual contact. Twenty-five years later he develops generalized lymphadenopathy with hepatosplenomegaly, a skin rash,hypercalcemia, and an elevated white blood count. This man has most likely developed which of the following?
Correct Answer: Leukemia
Description: HTLV-1, or human T-cell lymphotropic virus 1, is an enveloped, single-stranded, RNA retrovirus .Infection by HTLV-1 can lead to T-cell leukemia 20-30 years after the infection. The HTLV-associated T-cell leukemia generally presents as described above, and is very aggressive, progressing to death in under 1 year. AIDS , acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, is transmitted through the HIV virus. Although both viruses are RNA retroviruses and both infect CD4+ T cells, the diseases they produce are distinct. Autoimmune diseases produced after infection are typified by rheumatic fever after infection with Streptococcus. There is speculation that EBV virus (Epstein-Barr virus) may produce the autoimmune reactions in rheumatoid ahritis, but autoimmunity plays no role in leukemia after HTLV-1 infection. Delayed hypersensitivity reactions are T-cell-mediated immune responses typified by the subcutaneous reaction to tuberculin in sensitized individuals. It characteristically occurs 2-3 days after an exposure, and is a local lymphocytic response. Ref: Tschachler E. (2012). Chapter 197. Human T-Lymphotropic Viruses. In K. Wolff (Ed), Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine, 8e.
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