1987 Volume 36 Issue 4 Pages 213-221
To study the etiological relationship between SLE and HTLV-I, the serum of patients with SLE was examined for ATLA antibody by various methods. The results of enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and the immunofluorescence (IF) method were often false positive. With special regard to the cause of these false positive data, the following results were obtained:1. ATLA antibody was found to be positive in 16 by EIA, and 30 by IF, of the 60 SLE patients. 2. Only two SLE sera were found to contain antibodies to HTLV-I according to the Western blot method and the absorption test with HTLV-I. 3. Most of the sera that were false positive for ATLA antibody by EIA reacted with Tac antigen positive cells. 4. Inhibition of the reaction with monoclonal antibodies suggested the presence of anti-Tac antibody in 10 of the 14 patients false positive for ATLA antibody. 5. A statistical study in 48 SLE patients suggested that the occurrence of false positive results for ATLA antibody is significantly more frequent in patients positive for anti-Tac antibody.
