title: HIV-2 infections in a rural Senegalese community.
abstract: In a community study in rural Senegal, 22 human immunodeficiency virus type-2 (HIV-2) seropositive cases and 64 matched controls were examined clinically and evaluated immunologically. The presence of clinical signs was highly correlated with HIV-2 seropositivity: 9 anti-HIV-2 positive patients and 5 controls presented with clinical signs (odd ratio [OR] = 8.2, confidence limits [CL] 2-35). The main symptom associated with HIV-2 seropositivity was a chronic cough (OR = 18.5, CL 1.8-899). The presence of diarrhoea was not significant (OR = 3.1, CL 0.3-3.5). The total number of CD8 cells, CD4/CD8 ratio, beta 2 microglobulin, and IgG level discriminated between seropositive and seronegative individuals (P less than 0.05). When the anti-HIV-2 positives were grouped as 13 healthy and 9 sick people, red blood cells, lymphocytes, T lymphocytes, CD4 cells, and beta 2 microglobulin differed significantly. Clinical symptoms were associated with immunodepression: 5 of 14 sick people had less than 500 CD4/microliters vs. 1 of 72 healthy persons. This study at the community level emphasizes the clinical and immunological impact of HIV-2 infection. Even if it presents with a longer incubation period than HIV-1, this virus is a major threat to public health.
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur, Dakar, Senegal.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Le Guenno
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pison
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Enel
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lagarde
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Seck
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D015528:HIV Seroprevalence; D015498:HIV-2 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012675:Senegal / Q000453:epidemiology