Deleted HTLV provirus in peripheral blood cells of a patient with T-cell prolymphocytic leukaemia

We describe the first case of T-cell prolymphocytic leukaemia (T-PLL) in which the peripheral blood cells contained a human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV) related tax sequence. Serum screening tests for anti-HTLV-I/II antibodies were negative. Polymerase chain reaction disclosed the presence of an HTLV-I tax sequence in the peripheral blood. Other sets of oligonucleotide primers for HTLV-I gag, pol, env and the long terminal repeat regions and for the HTLV-II pol region were negative in the DNA of the cells. Although patients with T-PLL have been reported to be seronegative for HTLV-I, our findings point to the possibility that HTLV-I infection might be involved in the aetiology of at least some cases of T-PLL and that there may be alternative mechanisms involved in HTLV-associated leukaemogenesis.