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Retroviruses and multiple sclerosis. I.

Analysis of seroreactivity by Western blot and radioimmune assay

From University Hospital (Drs. Weinshenker and Rice) and the John P. Robarts Research Institute (Dr. Dekaban), London, ON, Canada.

We were unable to identify an antibody to either HTLV-I or HIV-1 in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) by ELISA, by radioimmune assay, or by radioimmune precipitation techniques. Immunoblot studies for HTLV-I-specific antibodies revealed faintly reactive bands in 2 of 44 MS patients but not in patients with other neurologic diseases. We did not find seroreactivity to HIV-1 or to the distantly related retrovirus, caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV). These findings suggest that MS is not related to infection by human retroviruses with antigenic similarity to HTLV-I, HIV-1, or CAEV.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. George Rice, Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, University Hospital, 339 Windermere Road, London, ON, N6A 5A5, Canada.

Received October 23, 1989. Accepted for publication in final form January 10, 1990.

B.G.W. is a recipient of a postdoctoral fellowship from the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. G.D. and G.P.A.R. are recipients of Career Development Awards from the Ministry of Health of Ontario. Supported by the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada.

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