Diagnostic challenges: lymphotropic sero-"questionables".
During a sero-survey for lymphotropic retroviruses, seven screening tests were performed for the three lymphotropic retroviruses of relevance in Djibouti, East Africa (HIV-1, HIV-2 and HTLV-1). Of the 82 subjects whose sera reacted in at least one retroviral screening assay, about one third could be followed, and their sera were re-examined after a 5-month interval, and then after an additional 3-month interval. Six selected individuals are reported here, whose retroviral serologies presented important and often unexplained changes over an eight-month period. The six cases summarize prototypic situations and present serological results in a style appropriate to stimulate thought on the significance and interpretation of lymphotropic viral serologies. Each case study is followed by a set of questions that formulate pertinent serological concepts.
Fox
E
E
U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3, Cairo, Egypt.
Constantine
N T
NT
Rodier
G
G
Abbatte
E A
EA
D000328:Adult; D015153:Blotting, Western / Q000592:standards; D015730:Djibouti / Q000453:epidemiology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015528:HIV Seroprevalence; D015497:HIV-1; D015498:HIV-2; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D011477:Sex Work