Neuropathology of two Brazilian autopsied cases of tropical spastic paraparesis / HTLV-I associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM) of long evolution

We report on a neuropathological analysis of two cases of TSP/HAM originating from Brazil. These two cases had, respectively, an evolution of 13 and 40 years. The main neuropathological findings consisted of spinal cord atrophy, mainly the lower thoracic cord, diffuse degeneration of the white and grey matter, rare foci of mononuclear and perivascular cuffs, and hyaline hardening of arteriolae. The supraspinal structures were normal, excepting for a slight gliosis in the cerebellum. An analysis on the long evolutive cases as described in the literature is outlined in this study

HTLV-I negative tropical spastic paraparesis: a scientific challenge

We reviewed the historical, clinical and etiological aspects of the progressive chronic spastic myelopathies of unknown etiology, disserting on the clinical similarities between HTLV-I seropositive and seronegative tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP), as well as focusing on the PCR studies of the seronegative TSP

Paraparesia espástica tropical nos trópicos e Brasil: análise histórica / Tropical spastic paraparesis in Tropics and Brazil: historical analysis

A paraparesia espástica tropical (PET)é mielopatia crônica, observada predominantemente nos trópicos recentemente descoberta ser de origem retroviral (HTLV-I). O objetivo deste estudo foi delinear a evoluçäo histórica de sua descriçäo, denominaçöes e referências etiológicas. A análise histórica revelou que essa condiçäo teve diferentes denominaçöes e a descoberta de sua etiologia retroviral em parte dos casos abriu diversas linhas de investigaçöes e interesse epidemiológico, nos trópicos e no Brasil