Cross-reactivity with SIVmac in east African HIV-1-positive sera: evidence against double infection with HIV-1 and a SIVmac/HIV-2-like virus.
IgG antibodies reactive with simian immunodeficiency virus isolated from a rhesus monkey suffering from simian acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (SIVmac, strain 239, a virus which is very closely related to human immunodeficiency virus type 2-HIV-2) were found in 18 of 120 Swedish and 8 of 11 east African confirmed HIV-1 antibody positive (HIV-1 ab+) sera, both by enzyme immunoassay and electrophoretic immunoblotting (p = 1 x 10(-6). In electrophoretic immunoblotting most of the cross-reactivity of SIVmac-reactive sera occurred on p27, the major gag protein of SIVmac. The possibility that SIVmac antibody reactivity could be due to double infection with HIV-1 and a SIVmac-related virus was eliminated by the results of absorptions between sera of Swedish and west and east African origin and viral antigens (SIVmac and North American or African/Haitian strains of HIV-1) coupled to agarose beads. HIV-2 ab+ and SIVmac reactive west African sera recognized SIVmac epitopes unrelated to HIV-1, whereas HIV-1 ab+, SIVmac reactive east African, and Swedish sera recognized SIVmac epitopes cross-reactive with epitopes present in both African and North American HIV-1 strains. No unique SIVmac-reactive African HIV-1 epitopes could thus be defined. Neither did absorption of Swedish and African HIV-1-positive sera with different HIV-1 strains (1 Haitian, 2 Zairian, and 1 North American) give evidence for unique epitopes.
Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Lund, Sweden.
J
J
Blomberg
P J
PJ
Klasse
C
C
Pehrson
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D003429:Cross Reactions; D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo; D000939:Epitopes; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D015488:HIV Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006679:HIV Seropositivity; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D015498:HIV-2 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007163:Immunosorbent Techniques; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000276:immunology*; D013548:Sweden; D014454:Uganda
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D015488:HIV Antigens