Isolated and identified more than 30 years ago, human T cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is the etiological agent of adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma, an aggressive lymphoproliferative disease of activated CD4+ T cells, and other inflammatory disorders such as HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis. Here, CD4 is linked to tropical spastic paraparesis.