Polymerase chain reaction, virus isolation and antigen assay in HIV-1-antibody-positive mothers and their children.
Diagnosis of perinatal HIV-1 infection is complicated by the persistence of maternal antibodies and the conflicting reports on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) reactivity in children born to HIV-1-seropositive mothers. We have compared PCR with other diagnostic methods for perinatal HIV-1 infection and have attempted also to identify maternal markers which correlate with risk of transmission. PCR was the most sensitive method for early diagnosis of perinatal transmission of HIV-1, but the PCR-positive children (n = 11) developed at least one additional sign of infection. The PCR-negative children (n = 76) were clinically healthy, virus isolation negative, and their serum was HIV-1-antigen-negative. All children who had become seronegative (n = 36) were both PCR- and isolation-negative. Antigenaemia in the mothers correlated significantly with higher risk of perinatal transmission of HIV-1, while no other parameters (clinical stage, lymphocyte subsets, PCR and isolation) showed such a correlation. This indicates that the level of virus expression may be of key importance for the risk of vertical transmission of HIV-1 infection.
Scarlatti
G
G
Department of Virology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Lombardi
V
V
Plebani
A
A
Principi
N
N
Vegni
C
C
Ferraris
G
G
Bucceri
A
A
Fenyö
E M
EM
Wigzell
H
H
Rossi
P
P
D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006679:HIV Seropositivity; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
D015704:CD4 Antigens; D007074:Immunoglobulin G