HIV-1 in postmortem brain tissue from patients with AIDS: a comparison of different detection techniques.
OBJECTIVE
The presence of HIV-1 in postmortem brain tissue from 31 patients with AIDS and 12 HIV-1-negative controls was investigated.


METHODS
Most laboratories have access to the methods used. We readily applied in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry to archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) brain specimens.


METHODS
The techniques used to detect HIV-1 were explant culture, in situ hybridization with 35S-labeled polymerase (pol) gene riboprobes and immunohistochemistry with monoclonal antibody to gp41.


RESULTS
HIV-1 was isolated from explant cultures in 13 out of 20 (65%) patients, whereas HIV-1-infected cells were detected in FFPE brain tissue from nine out of 26 (35%) patients examined by in situ hybridization and in seven out of 26 (27%) patients examined by immunohistochemistry.


CONCLUSIONS
Although the isolation technique was the most sensitive of the three techniques tested, infected cells may be identified with in situ hybridization in conjunction with immunohistochemistry.
Shapshak
P
P
Department of Psychiatry, University of Miami School of Medicine, FL 33136.
Yoshioka
M
M
Sun
N C
NC
Nelson
S J
SJ
Rhodes
R H
RH
Schiller
P
P
Resnick
L
L
Shah
S M
SM
Svenningsson
A
A
Imagawa
D T
DT
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000382:microbiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000382:microbiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015700:HIV Envelope Protein gp41 / Q000032:analysis; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014776:Virus Cultivation
D015700:HIV Envelope Protein gp41; D012367:RNA, Viral