HIV-1 and HIV-2 infections in a high-risk population in Bombay, India: evidence for the spread of HIV-2 and presence of a divergent HIV-1 subtype.
A high-risk population (patients of a sexually transmitted disease clinic and the GT hospital in Bombay) was tested for antibodies against HIV-1 and HIV-2. Among 405 serum samples, 226 had previously been classified HIV-positive in India using different locally available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests. The serology of 179 samples was unknown. All 405 samples were tested at the Georg-Speyer-Haus (GSH) with the Pasteur HIV-1/2-Combi-ELISA. Positive samples were further analyzed with HIV-1 and HIV-2 Western blot kits from Dupont and Pasteur, respectively. A very high seroprevalence of HIV was found in this population. Among the 179 unscreened samples, 69 (38.5%) were positive in the ELISAs as well as the Western blots for HIV-1 or HIV-2. Among the prescreened samples, only 174 (77%) were confirmed HIV-positive. Altogether, 243 of 405 sera were HIV-positive. Of these, 184 (76%) were reactive with HIV-1, 10 (4%) were reactive with HIV-2, and 49 (20%) had dual reactivity to HIV-1 and HIV-2. Previous data from the Indian Council of Medical Research had already suggested a possible high prevalence of HIV-1 in India. Our results confirm this view. The finding of a substantial spread of HIV-2 infection was, however, totally unexpected in India, but confirms our previous study which had already demonstrated the existence of HIV-2 in this country. Asia can thus no longer be considered free of HIV-2, and testing for HIV-2 appears mandatory, at least in India.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Pfützner
A
A
Chemotherapeutisches Forschungsinstitut, Georg-Speyer-Haus (GSH), Frankfurt, Germany.
Dietrich
U
U
von Eichel
U
U
von Briesen
H
H
Brede
H D
HD
Maniar
J K
JK
Rübsamen-Waigmann
H
H
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D005260:Female; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000235:genetics; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015498:HIV-2 / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014505:Urban Population
D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120